Forbidden
by xXHeart of GoldXx
Summary: Pre-Civil War AU. When Kimberly Ann Possible gets a taste of freedom when meeting a strange girl in Atlanta, Georgia, she craves the adventure. However, being a wealthy plantation owner's daughter, Kim isn't allowed to have any adventures if she wants to be respected by society.
1. Strange Girl in Atlanta

Kimberly Ann Possible was furious. She stormed out of the large country mansion she lived in and struggled to run in her hoop skirt. She didn't want to sit around and look pretty like she had been doing for her whole nine years she was alive. She didn't want to sit and learn how to be a proper lady and take etiquette lessons while her four year old brothers got to do whatever they wanted and run around the plantation. When Kimberly was four, she didn't get to take her shoes off and get dirty. She didn't get to climb trees and scrape her knees. She didn't get to jump in the lake on hot summer days or eat at the neighborhood barbeques. Instead, Kimberly got to sit there, sit up straight, smile, and look pretty with her unique red hair put up in place by a girl about her age with dark skin.

Even though she was the oldest sibling at nine years old, her four year old brothers would inherit everything. Kimberly would collect nothing and she was slowly realizing this as she observed southern society in rural Georgia. She heard her mother calling her name, her father demanding she come back, and her brothers laughing at her outburst at dinner.

The nine year old ran, kicking off her shoes, and tried to outrun her father. Kimberly tripped, falling and crying out when she scraped her soft hands on the ground. Her father lifted her up and carried her back inside.

It wasn't fair.

And Kimberly never noticed that her life wasn't fair until she made a trip to Atlanta with her family earlier that week.

It had been a warm spring day when Kimberly accompanied her father to the bustling city. Her mother stayed back home with her brothers and Kimberly was so excited to spend some one on one time with her father. She recalled smiling up at him at an auction when he made the highest bid and won. On what, Kimberly had no idea because she couldn't see above all of the adults standing in front of her.

She was such a good girl standing there with her father as he spoke with his friends even though she was completely ignored. It was normal and she knew her place, but when she saw some kids running around the fair, she was curious. She was used to seeing her brothers run around, but when she saw a girl participating, it caught her attention and she became curious. Kimberly never really questioned anything before because she was never given the opportunity and she grew up on a plantation and rarely left her home. This was her first trip to Atlanta and she had never been this stimulated by her surroundings before. She loved it.

Kimberly allowed herself to be curious and looked towards the other children. She locked eyes with a girl about her age. The girl's eyes were a bright, shocking deep green and reminded Kimberly of her mother's emerald earrings she wore during Christmas dinner. Kimberly's olive eyes forgot to blink for a moment as she stared at the girl in awe. The exchanged happened quickly, and the girl turned around and rushed off.

Without even thinking and letting this newfound curiosity take over, Kimberly slipped away from her father and followed the girl through the crowd. It was difficult in her large hoop skirt, but it wasn't impossible and she left the fair behind her. The girl with green eyes turned around and smirked at her and walked backwards towards an empty sidewalk. The city was relatively empty, Kimberly noted, because of the fair in town. The girl darted around the corner behind a building and Kimberly continued to follow her.

When Kimberly stopped moving, she realized she was sweating. Her many layers were not ideal for moving quickly around the fair, but she didn't regret her hair sticking to her forehead or the way her chest heaved up and down. The girl, however, wasn't out of breath, but her hair was sticking to her forehead, too. Her hair was dark, contrasting with her pale complexion. Despite her fair skin, it was obvious this girl spent much of her time outside. Her feet were dirty and her dress wasn't very thick. She didn't wear a hoop skirt like Kimberly. Instead, she wore a simple dress, but it was torn so that her ankles were showing. The pink of her dress was faded while Kimberly's own pink and white dress skirts were bright and didn't have a smudge on them.

The bright eyed girl was thin in an unattractive way. Her thinness showed she didn't get to eat much and it didn't take a genius for Kimberly to figure out this girl was poor. She hadn't really been exposed to many poor people in her short life, but she knew that they were dirty and gross people. Although this girl was dirty, she didn't seem to be gross. Kimberly was intrigued by her and the way she moved so fluidly through the crowd while Kimberly stiffly stumbled her way through.

"I knew you'd follow me," the girl grinned. Her calloused fingers ran through her hair to push it out of her face. Her voice wasn't clear like Kimberly's and it was a little scratchy. She had a strange accent that Kimberly never heard before and she could tell she wasn't from Georgia. "You looked so bored just standing there with your father," she remarked.

"I wasn't bored," Kimberly defended.

"Oh please. They weren't even paying attention to you," she laughed. "It's not your fault. Adults can be boring."

"My name is Kimberly Ann Possible of Middleton Manor," she introduced herself the proper way she was taught.

"Seriously?" the girl frowned and cocked up one perfect eyebrow. She crossed her arms and Kimberly had to stop herself from cringing at how she presented herself. "That's how you introduce yourself?"

"Well, how would you do it?" Kimberly asked defensively.

"I wasn't going to." Kimberly looked down, defeated and embarrassed. She could tell this girl was maybe a couple of years older than her and she didn't want to seem like such a baby because her lower lip quivered. "Sheila," the girl said, her tone not as harsh. "My name's Sheila Gordon. But my friends call me Shego."

"Why would they call you that?"

"It's better than Sheila," she laughed. "It's a nickname."

"I don't have a nickname," the nine year old pouted. Kimberly had never been graced with a nickname before. Her twin brothers, James and Timothy, were called Jim and Tim, but Kimberly was always just Kimberly.

"Well, I'm not going to call you Kimberly," Sheila wrinkled her nose. "Kimmie is much better."

"Kimmie?" It sounded so informal and she didn't really like it all that much. "Why not Kim?"

"How about this, kid. I call you Kimmie and everyone else can call you Kim," Shego informed her. "I've heard of Middleton Manor, actually. I live six miles down the road from it."

"How come I never saw you at the neighborhood barbeques before?" Kimberly questioned.

"We just moved here," Shego shrugged. Kimberly didn't question it. She wanted to climb on the piles of wood like Shego started to, but she couldn't. However, she found that when Shego helped her out of her hoop skirt and wire frame, she was able to climb easily and she marveled at the feeling of wood up against her bare feet once she kicked her shoes off. She was in her underskirt and it wasn't really appropriate, but it didn't matter because she was playing, really playing, for the first time in her life! Kimberly, no, Kim, was running, climbing, and jumping with Shego- a strange girl she just met, a girl unlike any other she ever met before! She watched Shego in awe as she climbed up a tree when they found one in the city and she looked up and blushed when she saw up Shego's dress and saw her bloomers. But it didn't matter when Shego caught her and she laughed when she jumped down from the one tree on the side of the street.

Kim forgot all about her manners and her father and how she was told to act because this was _fun_. It was no wonder her brothers enjoyed this! Maybe she'd join them next time and they can teach her to climb and run and jump just as good as Shego. Maybe Kim would invite Shego over to play and they'd play on the plantation. There were so many trees Kim wanted to learn how to climb there!

The girls were having fun, they were laughing, and they were simply enjoying life. Until Kim's father finally found her and she was so embarrassed to be caught without her skirt on or her shoes with her ankles exposed. The look of shame and disappointment on his face made her look down at her dirty feet. And then he took her home and she never got to say goodbye to Shego.

"What has gotten into you, Kimberly?" Kimberly's father's voice dragged her from her recent memory.

"It's Kim," she said as she fought against him. She had a slight taste of freedom that day in Atlanta she longed for. Kim wasn't meant to sit around and be a perfect, good little girl. She was meant for adventure and she absolutely craved it. She wanted to run and feel the grass in between her toes. She wanted to climb up a tree, she wanted to fall and scrape her knee. Kim didn't want to be forbidden to do the things boys got to do. She wanted to be like Shego and have the freedom to have real fun, but her parents prevented her from having that kind of adventure and despite her perfect life, she resented it.

* * *

I found this old story on my computer. I actually like the idea and I haven't written for Kim Possible in 3 years and I miss it. For some reason, many of my older KP stories show Shego as a victim and I absolutely _hate_ that. When I stumbled on this old story and brief outline, I was glad to see that's not where this story was going. I don't know if I'll continue this since I'm not sure if people like the idea of an AU pre-civil war. If you want more, please let me know in a review. I would love to hear any suggestions you may have. Thank you!


	2. Hercules

Kim waited until the clock in her bedroom told her it was one in the morning. She was certain everyone had to be sleeping by now including her family and the slaves on the plantation. She quickly got out of bed and didn't bother to change out of her nightgown when she left her bedroom. She neglected to put on shoes on purpose when she exited her home. She closed the door so slowly and carefully so that it didn't make any noises to alert anyone. Her mother was a very light sleeper for some reason and it wasn't hard to wake her up. Kim remembered being young and standing just outside of her parents' bedroom door late at night after she had a nightmare and her mother woke up almost immediately, sensing her daughter's presence. She had been very pregnant with her twin brothers at the time and had to waddle out of the room and put Kim back to bed. The redhead had a mammy at one point in time, but she died when Kim was young and her mother refused to replace her since she had been her mammy growing up, too. Replacing someone so dear to her heart was not something Ann Possible would ever do. It was somewhat unheard of for a woman to take such hands on care with her children since they had so much money, but Kim liked having a relationship with her mother whereas her friends seemed to barely know theirs.

Despite being close with her mother, Kim never wanted her to know that she sneaked out of the house past midnight every Saturday night (or, she guessed, early Sunday morning) to go climb trees on their extremely large property. If her mother knew what she was doing, Kim would be in so much trouble. What women climbed trees? Well, Kim thought, she sure did and she wasn't about to stop. She could have done this during the day, she assumed, because there were parts of the property nobody went to, but it would be difficult to explain why her dress was torn or why her feet were dirty.

Kim hiked up her white nightgown and quickly scurried away from the house and she most definitely didn't go near the slave quarters. They would definitely tell on her and bring her back to the house. The last thing she needed was to be returned to her father at one in the morning as if she was a child. Kim was fourteen years old, three months away from being fifteen, and didn't need to be punished like her brothers were when they got into trouble. Even though Kim was slightly odd, her parents thought she was a child prodigy. She excelled at everything she did such as being well mannered and playing the piano well. The only thing she didn't do so well with was cooking, but her mother assured her she'd learn eventually and she doubted Kim would ever have to cook a meal anyway, so they could hide that from a prospective suitor. She didn't really think about that. Her brothers, on the other hand, got into trouble constantly, but it was laughed at, everyone just saying they were boys and that was a good enough excuse.

If Jim and Tim climbed trees in the middle of the night, people would laugh and say how adventurous they were. If someone found out Kim climbed trees in the middle of the night, she'd be a disgrace. Her brothers even got nicknames. Kim would always be Kimberly and she loathed her name ever since she was nine years old. Kim was much better, shorter, and didn't remind her of a falling tree because of the word timber and her logic didn't even make sense to herself.

Kim felt the slight breeze on her cheeks and was thankful it wasn't sweltering like it had been during the day. The night was always cooler and more comfortable. Kim wasn't stupid and knew it was the sun which made it incredibly hot and the night could sometimes be significantly cooler, but she had a feeling part of the reason was due to the fact at night she didn't have to wear multiple layers of clothes.

When she was out of range, Kim pulled her nightgown up higher and she began to run quickly. She was a fast runner since she had been doing this since she was nine. She knew she could beat her brothers in a race, but she'd never suggest it because then people would think she was weird and she didn't want that. Despite the freedom she craved, she didn't want to be an outcast to society and eventually wanted to get married and have children of her own just like any other girl. Kim just wished her life could have more purpose to it.

Instead of going to her usual spot, for some reason, Kim decided to go towards the peach trees. She loved taking one right off the tree and eating it without even washing it first or cutting it. She actually liked it when the juice seeped down her chin and she liked tossing the peach on the ground without a care and pretend for just a little while that she was allowed to do this and be who she truly was.

Kim felt the thick grass against her feet, some of it being quite coarse. Her feet had built up a tolerance to it and if anyone ever saw her feet, they'd be disgusted. They were calloused from her nighttime adventures and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Kim climbed up the peach tree, skilled enough so she didn't trip on her nightgown, and went up and up until she got to a branch which made a good seat. She ripped off a peach and bit into it. She grimaced; it needed a couple more days to get ripe. Tossing it to the ground, Kim decided to look up at the stars and just enjoy the outdoors.

Kim literally felt her heart stop when she heard a shuffle below her. Did someone realize she was gone? Were they looking for her? Kim held her breath, her heart racing when she saw the dim light of a lantern. The candle inside of it flickered, creating a warm glow. Kim looked down and strained her eyes, not really able to make out the person below her. Nobody was calling her name, so was this person a thief? Kim was terrified. If this person found her, would they shoot? Kim didn't see a gun on the person's back and upon looking, she noted the person was a woman and her hair was long and black poking out from beneath the hood she wore. Her pale hand reached up and grabbed a peach off of the tree, placing it in the bag. She began to pick multiples, strategically going to different trees so the missing peaches would go unnoticed.

Kim didn't move, her muscles tense, her pupils were probably dilated, and her breaths were shallow and slow because she didn't want to alert this person. The girl kicked the peach with the very human bite on it Kim dropped. Kim tightened the grip on the branch until her knuckles were sore. The girl knelt down and picked up the peach. Slowly, she looked up. "I see you," the woman said, her voice slightly scratchy, but not unattractive. Kim sighed at being found out, but at least it was a woman so she didn't feel so threatened.

"Are you stealing those peaches?" Kim asked her from her perch.

"That's none of your business," she replied nonchalantly and went back to picking the peaches, placing the lantern down on the ground.

"Oh, well, it is my business," Kim stated bravely and quickly climbed down the tree to stand in front of the woman. "Because these are my peaches." She folded her arms over her chest. Her mother did that when she meant business when disciplining the boys.

"So you live here?" the woman murmured. She stopped picking the peaches and draped the sack of them over her shoulder. She leaned down and picked up the lantern.

"Yes," Kim nodded. "Daughter to James T. Possible, the owner of Middleton Manor." And then Kim remembered she was in her nightgown and she blushed furiously. She probably shouldn't have stated who she was since she wasn't in any real clothes. When the woman adjusted the peaches on her shoulder, it caused her face to go a little bit closer to the lantern. Although it was only truly illuminated briefly, Kim observed not a woman's face, but that of girl maybe a little older than her. And those eyes were piercing emerald green and-wait-Kim had seen those before. She'd seen that sharp jaw line, those unforgettable eyes, that thick mane of hair, and that distinct voice! Could it be…no, it couldn't be, could it? Well, Kim was already embarrassed beyond belief, her arms folding in front of her chest for an entirely different reason. "Sheila?" she squeaked.

The girl let out a chuckle which was more like a cackle. Kim was afraid she made a mistake. "You know my name? Well, what a terrible disguise _this_ was." And that accent was definitely not southern. It had to be her.

"Don't you remember me?" Kim persisted. "Kimberly Possible? I met you in Atlanta maybe five years ago by now. I ran off with you and I took off my skirt and shoes to run around with you and you told me your name was Shego and you live a few miles away from me and…how come I've never seen you? And why am I still talking?" Kim blushed again and hugged herself tighter so she could maybe hide away from Shego.

"I remember. I took one of Georgia's finest and turned her into a little savage," Shego smirked.

"Really? You remember me?" Kim asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Of course. Everyone remembers meeting Kimberly Possible. You're pretty well known around here."

"I remember you called me Kimmie. I don't really like Kimmie, but I like that you shortened my name. I like Kim." Why was she babbling like an idiot? Kim was never this nervous around anyone! She had always been a charmer and charismatic in front of everyone. Why was Shego making her so, well, stupid?

"Right," Shego nodded. "So, people call you Kim now?"

"No, nobody does. Well, except I try to get one of the house slaves to call me Kim when nobody's around, but she never does."

"Kimmie, you have to tell people you want to be called Kim. You can't just expect people to know that." Her perfect green eyes rolled and Kim wished her eyes were that green.

"Oh, please. You think my parents would find that acceptable?" It was Kim's turn to roll her own eyes. "And I just told you to call me Kim and you didn't," she pointed out.

"Yeah," Shego said and adjusted the sack over her shoulder again. "But I'm the one who gave you your first little nickname, so by default, I can call you whatever I want."

"Even if it means I'll tell on you?" Kim gestured towards the peaches. She saw Shego look uneasy just for a second before she recollected herself.

"I'll be long gone before anyone finds out, _Kimmie_ ," she said, emphasizing her name to make a point. Kim sighed in defeat. She'd never tell on Shego. It wasn't like they'd miss the peaches, anyway. Nobody monitored them and they were only picked when her mother asked.

"Sorry," Kim said. "I won't tell. But didn't you say you lived on a large plantation a few miles from mine?"

"You sure do remember a lot about me," Shego smirked again. "But yes, I do."

"Then why do you need to steal these peaches when you have acres and acres of land?" Kim asked her.

"I have my reasons," she paused. "I wouldn't take them if I didn't need them."

Kim trusted her. She probably shouldn't be trusting a girl dressed in her own nightgown with some kind of hooded cloak draped over her stealing from Kim's family. She knew she shouldn't trust someone who probably stole from them many times and was just smart enough not to get caught. She seemed to stay at the edge of the property where old, forgotten fruit trees and shrubs had been planted a few generations ago. She didn't ask any more questions because she saw Shego felt uncomfortable for even admitting she needed them. Kim was rich. But she remembered how Shego had been dressed back in Atlanta. She was probably poor and her family moved to the plantation cheaply. Kim didn't know much about buying properties, but maybe the property was for sale at a cheap price and her family took it and tried to build something great off of the land. Maybe her family failed.

"I've seen you before," Shego said. "At a couple of those barbeques." Well, there went that theory. Only those of high social classes and great wealth attended those events. But she ignored it because Shego wasn't like other people and she introduced Kim to a whole new world. Kim made her own adventures now and even though it consisted of running around at night and climbing trees, it was still better than what she had been living before. She felt stimulated and she could never go back to that boring life of not doing anything fun.

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Kim asked.

"You think I actually stuck around? Ha!" she exclaimed. "I always wandered off and explored the properties. And no, I didn't steal anything," she said when Kim gave her a look. "Okay, sometimes I did. But it wasn't like anyone was going to miss a couple of berries here and there."

"Shego!" Kim tried to sound shocked, but it came out as more of a laugh. "Stealing is wrong. You can't keep stealing from other people and my family."

"It's wrong, but my philosophy is wrong is fun. I think you realize that now, don't you? Climbing trees in your nightgown. Neither of us are directly hurting anyone. I mean, if your parents find out about you, you'll hurt them probably more than these missing peaches."

Kim just nodded. She was right. But she'd never stoop to stealing because she didn't need to. She had everything she needed except the freedom she craved. To her, Shego was the definition of freedom and she did things she wasn't allowed to do. Kim wondered what else Shego did in her spare time and Kim hoped it wasn't something that would go against her morals.

"Do you ever look up at the stars?" Kim wasn't sure where her question came from.

"That was random," Shego replied without answering her question.

"Sometimes I look up at them and wonder…" she trailed, not completing her thought.

"Come here," Shego said and put her sack of peaches on the ground and sat down in the dirt and grass, inviting Kim to sit beside her. Kim did and she didn't care that her nightgown would be dirty in the morning. She'd deal with it when the time came. For now, sitting beside the mysterious girl full of adventure was the only thing on her mind. Shego took her hooded cloak off and laid it on the ground. She rested her head on it and Kim copied her. She followed Shego's gaze and looked up at the stars. "You ever read anything about astronomy?" Shego asked.

"I've read about the stars and the moon in poems," Kim smiled, recalling the beautiful words describing them.

Shego cackled. "No, real books, princess. Not those damn poetry books everyone expects you to read." Kim gasped at the curse word, putting her hand over her mouth to show her state of shock. She looked at the black haired beauty with wide, olive eyes and saw Shego roll her bright green ones without even looking at Kim.

"You shouldn't swear," Kim managed to say.

"I will swear all the damn time if I want to," she stated with a raised voice, showing her temper. She paused to let her anger simmer down. Kim bit her lower lip, waiting for her to speak. "So the answer to my question was no, you never read anything about astronomy. And I highly doubt you've read anything of substance."

"I've read a bit of Shakespeare," Kim spoke up, but with a quiet voice.

"You've basically never read anything that'll make you think."

"Poetry makes you think," Kim countered.

"Not in the way you should be thinking. Kimmie, I can tell you're a smart girl." Shego kept her eyes trained on the night sky while Kim stared at Shego, studying her face and how striking her profile was. "Get your hands on an astronomy book and read it. Maybe something on the constellations and other planets. There's so much knowledge out there that men don't want women to know and women are oblivious to it."

"How come you're not?" Kim asked her. "What makes you so special?"

"I'm not afraid to wonder and ask questions about things. But I don't ask my father or my brothers. I read books when everyone's sleeping. When I go to Atlanta on occasion, I sneak into sections in the library that women usually don't go to. There's academic sections filled with books about facts and real knowledge we aren't taught. And yes, I steal them sometimes. Don't give me that look."

Kim looked at Shego with an annoyed expression because she still felt stealing wasn't right. She'd never break the law like that because people worked hard to earn their wages, which she seemed to recognize and Shego really didn't seem to care. Shego was selfish, but she woke something up in Kim that made her realize that she loved adventure and going outside at night to run around and be anything but a lady.

"You do realize by coming outside at this hour you're breaking house rules and societal norms," Shego pointed out.

"The rules I break don't hurt anyone. When you steal, that _hurts_ someone," Kim persisted. "It isn't right."

"You'll hurt your parents when they find out," Shego replied.

"They won't find out," Kim stated, sure of herself.

"They will. My father found out and he's pissed, but he can't do anything and he can't stop me," Shego smirked. Kim looked back up at the stars because she didn't want to admit that her father put a stop to her adventures before they could even start so she had to resort to doing things at night and in secrecy. Shego did have a point; Kim was breaking rules and if anyone found out, she'd be an outcast and her family would probably be shunned, too, or at least to a certain extent. "You see that up there?" Shego pointed. Kim followed her finger and looked up at the stars. "It's really hard to explain, but the constellation, Hercules, is up there."

"Hercules?" Kim murmured.

"Something else for you to look up. Find a book with the constellations in it and you'll find it."

Kim merely nodded and looked up at the night sky.

"Well, I better get going," Shego said as she sprang up from her spot on the ground. Kim stood up as well and grabbed Shego's cloak. The black haired woman already had the sack of peaches and Kim had to stop herself from laughing at Shego still stealing her family's peaches. She wasn't going to stop her.

"I'll see you again?" Kim asked quickly. She stood closer to Shego and wrapped the cloak around her. She held her breath when she tied a neat bow underneath her chin to keep it in place, pulling the hood up to hide her long hair.

"Yeah, sure," Shego nodded. Kim bit her lower lip, contemplating about saying something else, but decided not to. Instead, she let Shego run off into the night while Kim stood there and watched her go until she couldn't see the glow of her lantern anymore. After she left, Kim slowly walked back to her house and hoped she'd get a couple hours of sleep.

* * *

It seems like a couple of people liked the first chapter, so I figured I'd post chapter 2 and see how this does. Thank you to the people who reviewed/favorited/followed this story!


	3. Books Don't Always Tell the Truth

Kim woke up in her bed after getting four hours of sleep from the previous night. Her parents had given her a house slave who was responsible for aiding her throughout the day and she frowned when she didn't see her anywhere. Wasn't she supposed to wake her up? Kim rubbed her tired eyes and was thankful she let her sleep. The hot Georgia heat woke her up and she knew even if she tried, she'd never fall back asleep. She stretched and got out of bed to start her day.

Her house slave entered the room, a dark skinned girl the same age as Kim. Monique gave her a look with her eyebrows raised, indicating she knew what Kim had been up to the night before. It wasn't a mystery since her nightgown had dirt all over it from laying on the ground and her feet probably weren't any better. "You left at night again? Miss Kimberly, you know you aren't supposed to do that. Girl, if the Master and Missus find out, you're in deep trouble," Monique lectured.

"I told you, call me Kim," she replied and rolled her eyes.

"Don't change the topic, Miss Kimberly," Monique piped.

"What else is there to say?" Kim said and flopped back against her pillows, her blankets already on the floor since she must have kicked them off in her sleep. "Will my parents approve of me going out at night? No. Will I stop? No. I'm going to do it because I crave the fun, as minimal as it is." Kim stood up and helped take her own clothes off as Monique undressed her to get ready for the day ahead. Dressing was always a chore and Kim hated the seven layers she had to be put in every day. The worst of it was the corset. Monique fastened it around her and began pulling at the strings. "And there's another girl, well, I guess she's a woman. She's maybe a year or two older than me and she's just…Monique, can you keep a secret?" Kim turned around once her corset was put into place.

"Miss, if I couldn't keep a secret, you'd be at finishing school," she pointed out. Kim nodded excitedly and couldn't wait to tell her everything. Kim considered Monique her best friend. She could tell her anything and everything, which was something she admired about the girl. She couldn't tell her other friends secrets because they'd gossip about her, completely destroying her reputation which would really put a dent in her parents' reputations and she didn't want to hurt anybody because of the decisions she made.

"You know that girl I told you about? The one I met back in Atlanta years ago?" Kim asked.

"Ah, yes," Monique nodded. "If I remember, she's a neighbor."

"Exactly!" Kim nodded vigorously. "Well, I found her on the property last night." Kim knew her smile was ridiculous and she was glad Monique was too busy dressing her to see it.

"Last night?" Monique paused briefly, but then continued to pull up Kim's skirts.

"Yes," Kim said.

"What was she doin' on Master James' land?" Monique asked.

"She was stealing peaches," Kim blurted out. "But it's okay. It's just peaches," she said when she saw Monique's look of bewilderment. "It's fruit my parents forget about all the time at the edge of the property. I can't tell anyone, either, because how would I know?" Kim said quickly and forgot to breathe until the end of her outburst.

"Go on," Monique said after a moment of silence. Kim swallowed hard and continued.

"She awakened something inside me that day I met her. I never knew what having an adventure was like until I followed her in Atlanta. Ever since, I've craved that sense of freedom that I cannot have." Monique already knew why Kim went outside some nights and climbed trees, ran through the grass, and occasionally attempted a summersault in the yard. "Anyway, we talked and then we looked at the stars. She was telling me about constellations and she wanted to show me Hercules, but I couldn't see it because I didn't know what it was. So today, I shall go into the library and look it up!" Kim declared. Her smile faltered when Monique frowned.

"Miss Kimberly, you don't really have no business lookin' in the library for books like that," Monique stated. "I get that you like to climb and run like a boy, but you shouldn't be reading books you know women don't have business reading."

"It's just stars," Kim shrugged.

"I guess stars aren't so bad," Monique said slowly. "Just be careful."

"Don't worry about me so much," Kim said and gave Monique a quick hug once she was all dressed.

"I'll wash your nightgown," Monique said when she collected Kim's nightclothes.

"Thank you," Kim said. "You're great, Monique."

"That's just because I clean up after you and don't say nothin'. Now, go to breakfast. Everyone's probably waiting." Monique put a brush through Kim's hair and didn't bother styling it yet since Kim was running late that morning.

Kim nodded and rushed downstairs to breakfast. Monique was indeed right; even her brothers were at the table before her. They gave her an irritated look since nobody could start eating until they said grace. Kim gave a sheepish smile before she got into her chair and clasped hands with her mother to her right. Her father cleared his throat and thanked God for their meal. The moment his father said amen, the twins dug into their food as if they never ate in their entire lives. Kim, on the other hand, ate carefully and delicately just like her mother. She was in a hurry to get to the library, but she'd never get there if she was scolded and punished by practicing piano for three hours without stopping.

Kim didn't pay attention to the conversations at the table. Her parents were talking amongst themselves while her brothers were snickering and playing with their food when nobody was looking after they finished eating. Nobody corrected their wolfish way of devouring their food because they were boys and they'd learn to be gentlemen soon enough. The twins knew how to act in public and put on a respectable show, but at home, the two would get into all sorts of mischief that Kim wished she could have gotten away with back when she was younger.

The fourteen year old decided to think of other things, such as the constellations in the night sky. She wondered how many there were because Hercules couldn't have been the only one. Maybe there were five? Ten? Twenty? One hundred constellations? That would be amazing, Kim thought, and she wondered why nobody ever spoke to her about them. "You're awfully quiet this morning, Kimberly," her father spoke up. It wasn't like she talked all that much since her mind tended to wander. But she realized she was sitting there with a grin on her face in anticipation to go to the library and she wasn't really eating anymore. "Are you feeling well?"

"I feel fine," Kim assured him. "I'm sorry, father. I was just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?" James Possible asked.

Kim wasn't sure how much she should tell him. On one hand, perhaps he might be able to help her find a book on the constellations in his library; on the other hand, he could easily tell her it wasn't something she should worry about. Kim took a deep breath. "Well," she began. "I've been looking outside at the stars lately because I overheard a gentleman at last week's barbeque speaking about the stars and constellations. I know it is terrible of me to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but overhear about it."

"Is that all?" James laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a little curious."

"I am," she smiled at her father. "Just a little."

"There is probably a book in the library about this. I will fetch it for you after breakfast."

"Thank you, father!" Kim beamed.

After breakfast, Kim followed her father to the library and would have jumped for joy if her multiple layers of clothing weren't so restricted. She gave him a hug when he produced just the book she needed and she sat down on one of the chairs near the currently unused fireplace and began to read. She started off reading about Hercules. She observed the starts which made it and couldn't wait to try and identify it. It turned out that Hercules wasn't just a constellation, but also a Greek demigod. Kim wasn't really sure what that meant, but didn't dwell on it. She was more concerned with impressing Shego by being able to identify multiple constellations next time she saw her.

The next time Kim saw Shego, she found her taking peaches from the tree again about two days from when she began reading the book on constellations her father found for her. Kim had been coming out every single night to see if she'd find Shego by the peach trees. In the moonlight and dressed in nothing but her night clothes, Kim ran as fast as she could towards Shego with the book held tightly against her chest which prevented her from using her arms to balance as she ran, so she stumbled ungracefully a couple of times. She smiled broadly at Shego and looked up to her, making eye contact with her piercing green eyes.

Shego smirked when she saw her, a hand on her hip, and her cloak hood was down. The moon was bright and full enough so Shego didn't need a lantern this time. Kim thought Shego looked stunning as always and admired her physical features. She held the book out. "I've been reading all about the constellations," Kim beamed. Shego wordlessly took the book from her and scoffed at it after thumbing through it, handing it back to Kim in a not so friendly manner. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Well, that book isn't very good," Shego stated.

"I read about a lot of constellations," Kim argued. "I learned a lot and I can identify some of them, even Hercules."

"I guess I can't blame you for trying," Shego sighed. "Kimmie, being able to locate the constellations wasn't my point."

"Then what was it?" Kim let her anger subside because her curiosity was stronger.

"My point was that you should start learning things, not just wonder about them."

"But I did learn," Kim pointed out.

"I will admit, you did learn. I was probably a little harsh before because this is your first time wondering about something and learning about it. But the book you chose is poor and it doesn't tell you much. Did it mention explorers using the stars to navigate their ships? Did it point out the Greeks and Romans in detail? Did it explain why the constellations are named what they are?"

"No," Kim shook her head and stayed quiet to listen to Shego.

"The thing is, princess, you need to ask further questions and ask not only what, but why, how, and when. Tell me something, Kimmie. Did you find that book by yourself in the library?"

"I asked my father for a book and he gave me one," Kim admitted and looked down at her feet, slightly ashamed.

"That's what I thought," Shego sighed. "Your father gave you that book because it's simple. Men think women are the simple minded sex and they like to keep us unaware of knowledge. There's a reason why men only send men to university," the raven haired woman explained with such devotion.

"Men aren't all terrible," Kim said more to persuade herself that Shego was wrong, which she wasn't because Kim didn't know of any university that accepted women. She knew her brothers were destined to get a higher education, but Kim's academic education ended a couple of years ago. The content she was learning lately was how to sit, how to act, and how to dress appropriately for many occasions. But that was important, wasn't it? If a lady didn't learn how to be a lady, then what was her purpose?

"I bet the things you're learning are all about how to find and attract a husband so you can marry and produce a male heir." Shego made it sound awful. The words she used to describe Kim's current education made it sound vile and wrong. Kim scrunched her nose when she heard Shego's harsh words she wasn't sure she wanted to believe because that meant her whole life so far was a joke.

"Isn't that what you're learning, too?" Kim asked. Shego was silent for a long time. Kim watched as Shego grabbed a peach off of the tree and bit into it. The fruit was ripe and juicy. Kim noted how Shego didn't let the juice unattractively dribble down her chin and chewed with her mouth closed. She swallowed without making a sound before taking another bite. It seemed as if she was contemplating her words carefully.

"No," Shego said slowly. "Nobody is teaching me anything. However, I know how to imitate and that's all I need to do to get by sometimes. In order to be the perfect wife, all you have to do is copy people. You don't actually have to learn which fork to use or to wear black when you're in mourning. These are things you can just learn from experiencing it and simply living in a society."

"If that's true, then why bother teaching us how to be respectable women?" Kim queried, not to discredit what Shego just said, but because of pure curiosity alone.

"To distract us from actual learning," Shego replied without missing a beat. "It is thought that men are the superior sex and are smarter. The only reason why they seem more intelligent than us is because they keep us from learning by distracting us with poetry and fiction, keeping nonfiction from us so we cannot learn anymore so we don't end up thinking about anything of importance."

"My father gave me this nonfiction book to read." Kim gestured to the book she still held in her arms.

"It's simplistic. He doesn't care that you can see pictures in the sky, Kimmie. What he cares about is you learning who came up with the names of the constellations, their importance for travel, and why people connected the dots to make it seem like the stars make pictures in the sky." Shego tossed her half eaten peach on the ground with a soft thud.

"That can't be true," Kim said, not wanting to believe Shego's words about her father.

"Then ask him to teach you all about the stars," Shego challenged. Kim only frowned. She had a feeling her father wouldn't like her asking so many questions and demanding answers to questions that wouldn't help her out in her future. Kim knew her future husband wouldn't want to have intellectual conversations with her based on anything but poetry and important literary works in fiction which made her seem cultural and interesting. Some women didn't even get to read, Kim recalled.

"Listen," Shego put a hand on Kim's shoulder. "I don't think you're an idiot. I think your curiosity is a great thing. Most women don't run around at night and climb trees. You do these things because you want the freedom to do as you please without judgment and you _crave_ it. I like that you question me. A lot of women don't question anything and that's the problem, or at least, they don't do anything about it."

"What should I do?" Kim asked in a quiet voice.

Shego took the book out of Kim's arms and flipped to the page with the constellation Hercules. "This book claims that Hercules is a Greek demigod. See here? Do you know what a demigod is?" Kim shook her head. Shego went on to explain that if Kim didn't know something, she should search for the answer. Kim learned that a demigod was part mortal, part god and that Hercules wasn't actually the Greek demigod. "Hercules is the Roman version of Heracles, the actual Greek demigod. The Romans renamed the Greek gods, but were essentially the same."

"Then why did the book say that Hercules was the Greek demigod?" Kim queried.

Shego told her not everything in print was correct. If Kim wanted to get answers, she'd have to check her sources and read reliable books. She learned that books written by people who were known scholars were generally good sources. The more Kim read, the more she'd learn how to figure out the reliability and accuracy of the source. Kim was clueless on how someone could write an entire book and then the information in it was not completely accurate.

She wasn't paying attention to what Shego just said, and she blushed when Shego gave her an annoyed look with one eyebrow up high and the other resting there normally. When she was alone, Kim tried to do that herself, but found she couldn't. She marveled at Shego's elegance, even if the girl was dressed in a nightgown and the shoes she wore were obviously too big and looked like they belonged to a man. "What?" Kim gave a nervous grin.

Shego shook her head, but smirked. "I said don't let anyone see you read anything that'll make you think about the real world," she repeated. "I have to get going." Shego adjusted the sack of peaches on her shoulder and quickly turned to go back home. Kim watched Shego run and she noted how her shoes flopped and slightly slipped off her heels.

"Wait!" Kim shouted to get her to stop because she didn't say goodbye and she needed to know if she'd see Shego soon.

"Yes?" Shego turned around and stopped running, but continued to walk backwards. Kim didn't hear her take in deep breaths as she talked and wondered just how much Shego had to run in order to have that much stamina.

"I'll see you soon?" Kim queried.

"Probably not," Shego said before she sprinted off into the dark and left Kim with many questions left unanswered.

* * *

Thank you so much for the feedback in your reviews! I really listen to what you guys have to say, so please let me know if there's anything I need to change going forward or any other critiques you might have. I'm doing my best to keep the time period as close to accurate as possible (no pun intended). Thanks again and I am so glad those of you reading this found interest in this story!


	4. Mind What You Read

Asking her father for another book didn't go so well. Kim asked James Possible for a book on the stars, but a more advanced one which would give her more information as well as be more accurate. She pointed out the section where the book stated: Hercules was the name of the Greek demigod instead of stating that it was the Roman name. Needless to say, her father's reaction was strong and much more negative than Kim would have ever thought her father capable. Kim didn't understand why her father reacted the way that he did and quite frankly, he scared her a little. She never saw him react so intensely before except for that one time when she was about ten years old and she tried to run through the field.

Kim sat in her room close to tears with the stupid simple book on her lap. She couldn't let herself cry because the corset was too tight and wouldn't let her take in the deep breaths when she sobbed. "Kimberly," her father said to her before, "You have absolutely no business going through books like that in the library. What would your future husband say if he found you questioning his views of the world?" And it wasn't like he stated it gently.

Kim's head shot towards her bedroom door and hoped it wasn't her mother coming to comfort her. The last thing she needed was for Ann to come in and tell her that her father was right and that she should know women don't read books like that for a reason. Kim sighed in relief when it was just Monique who came in to check on her. The dark skinned girl shut the door behind her softly and gave Kim a comforting smile.

Monique heard what happened, but she didn't dare chase after Kim when she ran up the stairs into her bedroom in case her parents saw Monique about to go comfort their daughter after Kim was told she did something wrong. "C-can you?" Kim started, but she didn't need to finish her sentence because Monique helped her out of her layers of clothes until she got to the corset, which she loosened and tossed to the side, and Kim could finally let her pent up emotions out. "I just don't understand why my father wants me to remain ignorant of the world!" Kim stated through angry tears. "He wants me to be a perfect little wife in a few years, one with a mind which only thinks about producing children and looking pretty and perfect. Why can't I live my life the way _I_ want to live it? Why does it have to be the way everyone else wants me to live it?"

The room was silent after Kim's rant, only her heavy breathing could be heard as she tried to calm herself down. Monique sat down on her bed and looked down at her hands on her lap. Years ago when Monique was admitted into the Possible home, Kim told her she could do whatever she wanted in her room, including sitting on her large bed, without permission. Kim recalled her reasoning back then- it was because she thought it was too much effort to remain so formal all of the time and it was easier to let Monique do what she wanted rather than instruct her.

"Miss Kimberly, if I may, we all have a place in this world and we have to play specific roles. Yours is to make someone a good wife and have children, probably boys. Mine is to serve. There's nothing we can do about it," Monique explained in a somber tone. She didn't look up at Kim.

"We don't have to accept it," Kim finally said, her tears dried and gone, but her face still stained red from her earlier outburst. She looked in the mirror and noticed the whites of her eyes were bloodshot from crying and she had a feeling she wouldn't be leaving her room anytime soon until she looked presentable enough so that she wasn't questioned. She did have a welcoming look of determination in her olive eyes despite the redness.

"You'll be shunned and I'll most likely be sent to the fields," Monique pointed out nonchalantly.

Kim frowned. Her friend was right and although Kim wanted to do whatever she wanted, she knew she'd break if she was no longer accepted in the community. Not only would it hurt her, but it would hurt her family as well. She didn't need her family to suffer because of her quirkiness. "It's just not fair!" Kim sighed and flopped down on her bed, thankful she slipped out of her skirts. The freedom to simply move and even just taking a deep breath to let out a frustrated sigh was welcome and she wondered who invented women's clothing styles.

"Miss Kimberly, nobody said life would be fair." Monique twisted her body so she was looking down at Kim. She grinned, and Kim smiled back.

"You should come with me," Kim started. "At night, I mean. Come with me."

"I can't do that!" Monique's smile fell, her eyebrows raising at the appalling idea.

"Why not?" Kim pouted, sticking her lower lip out just a little bit more than usual. "You never got caught staying in my room on very cold nights during the winter. And I _never_ get caught at night when I leave the house." At the back of her mind, Kim wondered how long that could last. She was fantastic at being unnoticed when she wanted to be, going as far to slipping away during the last barbeque for a couple of minutes and was ecstatic when she managed this.

"Miss Kimberly, you may think you're sneaky, but you're anything but," Monique teased. "I always know when you leave."

"You're the only one who found out," Kim laughed. "I would say I'm rather decent. At least come with me tonight," Kim urged. She pulled Monique down so they both laid down on the bed, their legs hanging off the side.

"I will not leave the house," Monique stated sternly, her body rigid and unrelaxed.

"I was not going to leave tonight. I want to go to the library and look at all of those books," Kim replied. "I want to find something good to read, something that will make me intelligent."

"You already are intelligent," Monique complimented, her body less tense.

"Knowing which forks and spoons to use during a multicourse meal is not intelligence," Kim told her. "No, Monique, we are going to read great books and be aware of the world."

"We? Miss Kimberly, I can barely read," Monique bit her lower lip, embarrassed, and turned her head away to the right to stare at the headboard.

"I can teach you," Kim grinned. "If you come with me to the library and help me."

"Oh, so there's conditions?" Monique joked, but then sat up quickly. "I am so sorry, Miss Kimberly…I…"

"Monique," Kim sat up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Never apologize for anything. And you know I wouldn't make you do anything that you are uncomfortable with. But I will teach you how to read whether or not you come to the library with me."

The two sat in comfortable silence after Monique nodded. Kim had no intentions of leaving her room other than to use the facilities and grab food from the kitchens, so she wasn't going to bother putting most of her clothes back on. She was more than content with her simple underclothes. "I will come with you tonight," Monique broke the silence.

"You don't have to, Monique," Kim smiled.

"I know I don't, but I want to," Monique decided. Kim brought her in for a tight hug; she didn't know what she did to deserve a friend as great as Monique.

Late at night when Kim was sure everyone had gone to sleep, she crept out of her room in her nightgown with a candle in hand. She didn't put on her slippers because she was afraid they might make a tiny bit of noise as she went down the hall and passed her brothers' bedroom. Although their house had a total of six bedrooms, Kim's brothers preferred to share one. Kim, on the other hand, was more than happy to have her very own room at the end of the hall. She had one of the largest rooms in the house, only second to her parents', and didn't think she could ever give that up for a better location near the stairs.

Thankfully, Kim never had to pass by her father and mother's room since it was at the other side of the house. The last thing she needed was her mother to hear her and send her father out to check on the noise. That had happened once when Kim was about four years old and fell down the stairs in the early hours of the morning to grab a cookie she eyed the night before. Back then, she was only four and it was cute. Suddenly when she turned seven, she miraculously turned into a little lady and she'd be scolded for doing something of similar nature.

She suppressed a sigh as she went down the large staircase. She was forced to grow up so quickly, and yet, her brothers acted however they wanted. Their responsibility was minimal; all they had to do was maintain good grades so her father could send them off to university. Kim briefly wondered if there was a university that accepted women. She'd have to ask Shego because she seemed to be rather knowledgeable about a lot of things.

Kim carefully opened a door to the large library and quickly shut it behind her. There was someone else in the room, but it wasn't Monique. It was a boy of a larger build who looked at her with fear in his eyes, dropping the book he had been looking through. He couldn't speak as he trembled. Kim's heart went out to the poor boy even though he was obviously a slave and he wasn't permitted to enter the house. Kim set her candle down on a side table. She knelt down to pick up the book. She held it next to the candle the boy had been reading beside. " _Critique of Pure Reason_ written by Immanuel Kant," Kim said in a soft voice, which she hoped was comforting or at least less intimidating. "You can read?" The boy didn't answer, most likely afraid to admit that he could. "It's okay if you can," Kim smiled. He slowly nodded his head.

Kim thumbed through the book, noting that this definitely wasn't meant for a child of his age. "You must be a great reader if you can read this," she complimented. "What's your name?" The boy went to speak, but choked on his own words. Kim turned around when she heard Monique enter the library. Monique stood slightly behind Kim.

"Wade, what are you doing in here?" Monique gasped. Kim, still kneeling, didn't take her eyes off of the boy who now had a name.

"It's okay," Kim said before Monique could potentially scold him because what he did was dangerous and could have him sold quickly to someone who wouldn't be so nice to him and would treat him poorly. Kim didn't want that. He was only a boy. "How old are you, Wade?" Kim queried.

"Ten," Wade's voice was barely audible, but Kim read his lips and made out what he said.

"Oh, you're the boy who sometimes runs around with my brothers," Kim recalled. She remembered how a couple of years ago, her mother told the boys they couldn't play with Wade. However, Jim and Tim won the argument because they said they were men of the house and Ann had to do what they said. Ann, for the most part, wasn't a pushover. But for some reason with her two sons, they got away with everything, so it wasn't surprising that they got to continue to play with their new friend.

"Wade," Monique said and knelt beside Kim. She put a hand on Wade's shoulder to comfort the terrified boy. "Miss Kimberly would never tell on you for being in here. She will never do anything to put you in harm's way." He seemed to trust Monique more than Kim, so she just smiled and nodded, allowing Monique to take control of the situation. "She's actually gonna teach me how to read better. That's why we're here."

"Well, part of the reason," Kim stood up. "I want to read books that my father does not want me to read. I want to learn about things, anything really, and be aware of what is out there. So, if you promise not to tell on me, you can definitely stay," she smiled.

"You're not mad?" Wade asked.

Kim shook her head. "Not at all." Kim thumbed through the book Wade had been reading, noting the complexity of the text. "You must be very intelligent to read something like this."

Wade blushed and nodded, looking down at his feet trying to hide a grin.

"Wade's really smart, Miss Kimberly. In fact, I'd go so far as to call him a genius."

"Why haven't you told me about him before?" Kim asked Monique. "Wade," she turned to him, "You're just the person I need, I think. Help me pick out a book?"

"What kind?" Wade beamed at the compliment. Kim explained to him that she needed a good source for information, anything that would teach her something she didn't know. She wanted to read something that wasn't going to lie to her and give her misinformation. As she explained this, she wondered if a ten year old slave boy would be able to determine which books were good and which weren't so good. "Some things are just theories," Wade explained. "They could be disproven at any moment as long as there's enough evidence. So, today something could be true, but tomorrow it may not be if someone had some kind of breakthrough. But," he said as he approached one of the many books on the shelf. "It's not bad to read these books. We have to understand things and be wrong before we can fully understand them."

"So basically all books can be lies," Kim frowned.

"Not necessarily," Wade said as he moved to another shelf. "Miss Kimberly, if I may be so bold to ask, why do you want to read books that are forbidden for you to read?"

Kim opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it. She wasn't even sure why the interest in her sparked other than the fact that Shego had put the idea in her head. She bit her lower lip as she thought deeper, and she finally said, "I want to _be_ someone. I guess I want to make a difference."

"I guess we have something in common," Wade turned to meet her gaze. But then he got nervous again and mumbled an apology.

"Wade," Kim said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "never apologize to me for having something in common with you. It's an honor, really, on my part."

"I told you Miss Kimberly is quite a unique person," Monique piped.

"Well, thank you Monique," Kim smiled, glad that her friend had been telling the others only good stories about her. Kim did have a temper, though, and she hoped Monique didn't go around revealing that to anyone, not that Kim would ever do anything about it, of course, but she didn't need to be embarrassed on her own property.

Monique acknowledged her with a slight bow with her head before instructing Wade to find something suitable for Kim. She began to explain what Kim had already learned as Kim herself wandered the library, looking at the various book titles. She came across the area where she used to look for a good book to read before she was aware of anything else. Before Shego, Kim never really thought about other types of books because she did truly enjoy her fiction and poetry. However, it was time for her to read some nonfiction and learn useful facts and expand her mind, unlike her mother who had the potential to be extremely intelligent, but never seemed to pursue anything.

"Miss Kimberly," Wade approached her with a book. "I read this book myself," he said, handing it to her. "It's about the Vikings."

"The Vikings?" Kim queried, thumbing through the book.

"Very interesting," Wade nodded. "It is believed they used the constellations to travel by ship. Monique said you read a little bit about them."

"I did," Kim said with happiness. "Thank you so much, Wade. How often do you come to this library?"

"About once a week," Wade admitted.

"Maybe we could coordinate meeting here once a week?" Kim queried. "I need all the help I can get," the fourteen year old explained.

"That would be so fun!" Monique exclaimed.

"Sure," Wade replied to his friend and his newest one. "I should get going so my mama doesn't worry," Wade explained.

"Of course," Kim replied. "Take whatever books you want."

"Wow, Miss Kimberly! Thanks a bunch!"

"Anytime," Kim laughed. "And don't call me this around anyone else but Monique, but you can call me Kim. No miss. Just Kim."

"You got it, Kim," the ten year old said as he picked up four books to take back with him.

"Goodnight, Wade," Kim chuckled as the boy left with a bounce in his step. "See, Monique? It's not _that_ hard to call me Kim."

Monique just gave her a look and crossed her arms. Apparently, Kim wasn't _that_ lucky. She was too happy to scold Monique for being too formal, so Kim went to find some poetry to teach Monique how to read.

* * *

Thank you so much for the amazing reviews! I know slavery can be a controversial subject, but Kim obviously doesn't treat any of them poorly. In fact, she just found Wade, a new friend. And no worries, Wade still has genius level intellect- he just has to sneak around to learn things. Slavery isn't what this story is about, it's just the time period. There will be no graphic scenes. This story is primarily about Kim's growth as a person in a time period and location where she didn't have the opportunities she had in today's world.

As for other characters like Ron, Dr. Drakken, and others, they will make appearances, don't you worry. Introducing them all at once in one chapter is too much, so Kim will be interacting with them in future chapters. In this chapter, Kim finally interacts with Wade of this time period.

And no, we have not seen the last of Shego. She plays a significant role in Kim's self discovery :)


	5. Bonnie's Gossip

Kim wasn't really sure why she was so disappointed that she hadn't seen Shego in weeks. It wasn't like they were best friends or anything. She wanted to consider Shego a friend, but she wasn't sure if the other girl felt the same way. Kim could tell Shego got annoyed with her sometimes when she asked questions that seemed so easy for Shego to answer. She recalled the famous look she gave with one eyebrow raised in disbelief. Her emerald green eyes were cat-like and as bright as the stars that started Kim's journey of yearning to be knowledgeable.

Shego, unlike most people Kim knew, had brought out qualities in her she never knew she had until she met her. Kim wanted adventure and created her own on the large plantation under the moonlight when nobody was awake. Now, Kim was just beginning to uncover the mysteries of the world in which intellectual men knew about for years, knowledge that was hiding away in her father's library which was rarely used for reading books. Her father once told her every large home contained a library and it was really just for show. Kim did wonder how the newer books got in there; she never saw her father purchase any.

Kim only nibbled at the breakfast Monique brought into her room. She knew she should at least attempt to eat more before the barbeque, but she couldn't bring herself to take another bite after she ate a biscuit. She was going to be rather hungry later and she'd have to ignore it so she didn't look like a fool stuffing her face in front of Joshua Mankey, a boy who was barely a man at age sixteen, but was someone Kim would consider marrying. It was somewhat unusual for a woman to marry a man who was around the same age as herself, but the girls her age had fantasies of marrying someone like Joshua. He was a handsome young man with light brown hair and beautiful blue eyes that reminded Kim of the ocean she had never actually seen, but saw paintings.

In her readings lately, she came to realize she enjoyed books about the ocean, specifically cultures who travelled it and found unknown lands and weren't afraid to go out into the unknown because of their curiosity. It wasn't common in her society to go out there and, well, not know where one would end up. Kim knew most men inherited their family's plantations or would buy land a few miles away with family money and start up. Some sons decided to go into Atlanta or another city and start a business there if the country life wasn't for them or they simply weren't the first born son and would not inherit any of the plantation anyway.

Daughters were married off. Kim knew her father wanted her to marry someone who would be able to provide with her and she doubted he wanted her to move far away from home. As of that moment, Kim wanted to remain close by her family as well and marry a man who would easily provide for her, but also wanted to travel and see more of the world. Therefore, Master Joshua Mankey was rather attractive to Kim because he told her he wanted to travel the world and major in history when he went off to school so he could explore historic sites in Europe. He told her this while they both sat under a large oak tree on his plantation, a tree that was so far away from his family's estate that they could barely see it in the distance.

Kim walked away from her breakfast to go out to see if the carriage came around. It did, and Kim was quick to grab her decorative fan from the other room. She passed by Monique who held her breakfast tray and frowned, lecturing Kim that she should have eaten more of it so she didn't stuff herself in front of other people. Kim rolled her eyes and promised she wouldn't be enticed by the food. Shrugging, Monique bid her farewell and went off to take care of the barely uneaten breakfast.

"You look beautiful," Ann Possible complimented her daughter's white dress with sky blue trim and a blue satin ribbon around her waist which Monique expertly tied into a bow in the back. The hat she wore to protect her face from the sun was also white and had a matching blue ribbon. The blue feathers on her fan completed the outfit. She neglected to bring the parasol with her, but it didn't seem like a big deal since her mother didn't comment on it.

"Thank you, mother," Kim smiled. Her bothers, dressed in matching little gentlemen's clothes, were arguing about who gets to drive the horses with father. Kim never got to hold the reigns despite having the opportunity to sit up top with James Possible when she was younger. Nowadays, she always rode in the coach with her mother. Although many respectable men had drivers, James preferred to drive himself on nice days such as these which had barely a cloud in the sky and the sun shining brightly.

Kim followed Ann outside and was helped into the coach by her father. Seeming to have resolved the issue between the twins, Jim sat in the carriage with his arms crossed with a pout while Tim sat with a broad smile on his face holding the reigns in his hands. Since Tim was controlling the horses most of the journey to the barbeque, the ride was bumpy and awkward and Kim had one hand on her hat and the other on the seat.

Upon arriving at the barbeque, Kim was whisked away by her friends. She was thankful for this because the tension between her and her father was still raw and awkward. She was most definitely a daddy's girl and the lack of contact with him was hurting her. However, Kim was too proud to tell her father she was sorry for wanting to read a book with substance and he was much too stubborn to change his ways he had been set in since he was a young boy.

Kim walked with a couple of girls her age towards a larger group and sat down beside them at a table. "Miss Kimberly, I absolutely adore your dress!" Tara squealed in delight before bringing her into a quick hug.

"Thank you," Kim smiled at the blonde. "Your dress is exquisite. Wherever did you get it?" Her dress was of a slightly different style and pale pink, but it complimented her complexion well and made her hair look blonder than usual.

"My father had it imported from Paris," Tara's grin was genuine and her cheeks were highlighted with just a bit of rouge to bring out her cheekbones.

"I hear Paris is just beautiful," Jessica gushed.

"Very romantic," Hope nodded.

"I do approve of Paris' fashion," Bonnie Rockwaller stated. "I only wear clothes imported from France," she bragged and held her dark pink feathered fan so that it covered her mouth. Kim had to bite back a comment. It was known that she and Bonnie loathed each other's company, but everyone pretended like they were the best of friends, and Kim even faked it as well so that she could look like the better person. Bonnie's rude, condescending, and selfish remarks were prevalent, but she said them in such a way that it would be difficult to call her out on it. "Miss Kimberly, do you own anything from Paris?"

Kim turned towards her and smiled. "I believe my father had my diamonds imported from a jeweler." Kim wasn't even sure if it was true, but it could have been. Lately, Kim hadn't been paying attention where her father's various gifts were coming from since she was preoccupied with other things. Oh, and she was still holding a grudge against him because he still was barely speaking to her despite still handing her a gift at the end of every week.

"I assume not all of us can have everything imported from France," Bonnie shrugged. Kim bit her tongue. She knew her father had so much more money than Master Rockwaller, but never felt the need to point that out because it was well known even if the other girls forgot about that fact momentarily while in the presence of Bonnie herself.

"No, I guess not," Kim said slowly when a flash of green caught her eye. She turned her head and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Shego dressed in an elegant green dress with silver designs, creating an almost floral-like pattern throughout. Her hair cascaded down her back and it looked like she wore a silver headpiece in her hair resembling a tiara. Her jewelry consisted of diamonds and emeralds, complimenting her shocking eye color. Her waist was smaller than Kim imagined it would be in a corset and her breasts were pushed up by it. Her dress was a little on the lower cut side so that her chest was more visible than the other women's at the barbeque. It was risqué, but not enough to be deemed inappropriate enough to kick her out.

This was when Kim realized this was the first time she saw Shego at one of the many barbeques her family attended. The girls she sat with began to chatter and wandered off where some young gentlemen would treat them to lunch. The only person who stayed there was Bonnie who stood beside Kim as they both gazed at the girl who was attracting potential suitors left and right. "I do not think you ever met her before," Bonnie said in a hushed tone.

Kim obviously had, but nobody knew that they met before so simply stated that she never saw her.

"Her name is Miss Sheila Gordon and she lives right in between us," Bonnie explained. Kim had to admit, Bonnie was a good source for information. She seemed to know almost everything there was to their little community. Did she exaggerate before? Most definitely. However, Kim knew how to pick out the facts from fiction.

"Has she been to these barbeques before?" Kim asked, neither girl taking their eyes off of the one in green.

"Actually, no. Her brothers always come to these, though. You'd probably recognize them: Masters Henry, Michael, William, and Wesley." Kim nodded, recognizing the name Henry Gordon especially. He was one of the most respectable men around. He was at least a decade older than Kim and had attended University at age sixteen followed by joining the army for a brief two or three years before returning home. She didn't know anything about the other three, except the youngest two were twins a year younger than Kim.

"Her oldest brother is a respectable man, her brothers following in his footsteps. Miss Sheila, though?" Bonnie shook her head.

"Do you know anything about her?" Kim asked.

"Rumors," Bonnie admitted. "But so far they seem to be true. Oh, is Miss Kimberly really fine with gossip today? Usually you're such a goodie-goodie that you remove yourself. Why the sudden interest?"

"She is our neighbor, Miss Bonnie, and I have never seen her before. Excuse my curiosity," Kim blushed.

"You're lucky _I_ keep up with information," Bonnie replied.

"Are you going to tell me or…?" Kim wanted to cock an eyebrow like Shego, but when she practiced that in the mirror once it made her look not so elegant and more like a freak show.

"Miss Sheila is what one would call the black sheep of the family. Her brothers are respectable, but she most certainly is not. I have heard she runs around with the lower class and engages in not so respectable activities with them." Kim's eyes went wide when she heard that. Shego went around sleeping with men of a lower class? "I hear she gets that from her mother who remained in New York when the rest moved down here. Her father is never seen. Rumor has it he's an alcoholic." New York would explain why Shego didn't speak like anyone else around here. Her accent was northern and she wondered if Shego lived in a big city, a city she heard that was bigger than Atlanta.

It was sad to hear her mother didn't live with them and her father had a drinking problem. She did want to tell Bonnie that whatever she said couldn't be true, but Bonnie hadn't been wrong before. "That's all you know?" she asked and Bonnie nodded. It was interesting that Bonnie didn't know Shego was a thief. Perhaps Kim was the only one who knew that fact. Stealing was wrong in Kim's eyes and so was sleeping with someone before marriage, but Kim was still fascinated by her despite being angry that Shego did bad things.

Shego caught Kim's staring eyes and smirked. Kim didn't smile, but simply turned away from a woman she thought highly of until she heard what Bonnie had to say. Being a thief was one thing- but a harlot? That was a completely different story. How dare she even look Kim in the eyes?

"I saw you staring. Pleased to meet you. I am Miss Sheila Gordon." Kim had no idea when Shego walked over to them and she was startled, jumping ever so slightly at her presence.

"Miss Bonnie Rockwaller," Bonnie introduced. "And this is Miss Kimberly Possible. I do not think we have ever seen you around before. I understand you have never been to a barbeque before."

"Contrary to popular belief, I have. I have only attended a very small number of them," Shego explained.

"Your brothers attend all of the time. I hear you are usually stuck at home tending to your alcoholic father." Kim put her fan over her mouth to hide her shock from Bonnie's very forward comment. Shego didn't even flinch. "At least, that's what Master Henry states when you don't show." Kim vaguely recalled overhearing Henry admit that his sister was unable to attend to care for a father who made himself sick.

"Oh, does he?" Shego queried.

"Miss Bonnie! Miss Bonnie!" Tara rushed over and tugged on Bonnie's arm. "Master Brick Flagg has been asking for you!"

"Duty calls," Bonnie smiled. "Oh, nice dress by the way, Miss Sheila. Did your mother have that one made by a local tailor?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Bonnie. But this was imported and custom made in Italy. I would have thought someone such as yourself would notice Italian when you saw it," Shego replied without hesitation. Kim had to hide her smile when she saw someone finally beat Bonnie at her own game.

"Let's go," Bonnie said and Tara began to follow. "Miss Kimberly, are you coming along?"

"No, I was going to see if I can speak with Master Josh Mankey myself and I hear he is closer to the house," Kim explained. Bonnie shrugged and walked off with the blonde girl who started to gush about how Brick was just begging to see her.

"She speaks," Shego crossed her arms. "Do you actually believe what she said?"

"She didn't say a thing," Kim replied sharply.

"Oh, she did. She most definitely did. Kimmie, she doesn't know me. You can't believe her." Kim went to leave. "I saw how you were looking at me before," Shego continued, grabbing Kim's arm.

"Then tell me something," Kim started. "Is your father an alcoholic? Did your mother stay in New York? Have you slept around?" Kim whispered. Luckily, the food was served and everyone else was making their way to the other side from where they stood.

"Is any of that any of your business?" Shego asked her. "Does thinking that change your opinion of me?"

"It does," Kim nodded.

"Why?"

"I don't know…it just…it does!" Kim blurted. "Is it true?"

"I'm going to leave it up to you to believe what you want. But I will say, up until this moment, you thought very highly of me."

Kim didn't know how to respond, so she let Shego walk away from her in the opposite direction from all of the people and disappeared from view when she went around the house. _Probably to steal something_ , Kim thought. She shook her head and made her way over to the food, her stomach growling because she neglected to eat her breakfast.

* * *

Now that Kim has a better idea of who Shego is, her view on her seemed to have changed. Do you think Bonnie's information is reliable, somewhat reliable, or not at all?

And to those of you anticipating Ron: we will meet him next chapter. Besides Dr. Drakken (we will be meeting him eventually), are there any other characters you would like to make an appearance in this story?

Thanks again for all of the support!


	6. How We View People

Joshua Mankey was obviously well off and being an only child and the only son, he was the heir to all of his father's fortunes. He was rather educated since he studied in Europe every summer when he studied abroad. He was going to go to university in about a year and Kim told herself she'd wait for him to come back and then they'd get married. She could tell he was fond of her because he tended to escort her away from crowded areas and take her on walks around his plantation. Currently walking with him, Kim forgot all about Shego for the moment and smiled as he talked of literature with her. Kim was well read, which was rare. He loved that she picked up old classic fiction and read them and could discuss them intellectually. Like Josh, Kim would analyze characters, settings, and plots and they'd discuss theories and sometimes predict what happened to characters in books with ambiguous endings.

Josh enjoyed the arts. He knew good literature when he saw it and would recommend books for Kim to read, and she'd beg her father for them until he'd just have to buy them the next time he travelled to a city, usually Atlanta, Georgia. Not only did he excel in poetry and literature, but Josh was actually a talented artist. He admitted he knew his art wouldn't amount to anything and it was more of a hobby than a promising career, but Kim loved his artwork. In fact, he had his sketchbook safely tucked under his left arm as he led Kim to one of their favorite spots on the plantation which was hidden from view from other people.

Kim knew if her father caught her with Josh all alone deep in the gardens, he'd be furious because of the speculations. She knew times were changing, and she had seen Bonnie sneak off with Brick many times. And it wasn't just Bonnie; Tara would go off with a boy every so often when she thought other people weren't looking. But Kim's group knew about all of their sneaking around and they'd laugh and gossip about it when there weren't any older women around to scold them.

The two teenagers sat on a white bench which was underneath a large tree, shading them from the hot afternoon sun. He showed her sketches he drew while aboard a ship to Europe, and she told him she should make these true works of art, maybe paint them, give them color. And then Kim felt as if she was talking nonsense, just saying things Joshua Mankey wanted to hear; she always said things he wanted to hear. Kim suddenly frowned when he wasn't looking, disappointed in herself. In a way, Shego was right.

"Have you ever craved going on an adventure?" Kim asked suddenly.

"An adventure?" Josh chuckled. "I go on plenty of adventures. You know I've been to many other countries."

"Not that kind of adventure," Kim shook her head. "I meant the kind where you go out on a…a hike up a mountain and perhaps you get a little dirty on the way. Or even something such as exploring your plantation. Have you ever done that before?" the girl asked eagerly.

Josh gave her a funny look. "Why would I want to go off and do something like that?"

"It could be fun!" Kim's eyes lit up. She stood up and grabbed Josh's hand with hers. She tugged at his arm. "Why, we could even do that this very moment!" she laughed with glee. She failed to notice the sour look on Josh's face as he stood up and put away his sketches to tuck underneath his arm.

"Miss Kimberly, where are we going?" Josh asked as she started to run. Kim lifted up her skirts as she dragged Josh farther and farther away from the party. She was pulled back abruptly when Josh decided not to go along with her anymore. She lurched forward and felt her shoulder pull. Confused, Kim looked up at him as he dropped her hand. "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking we go-"

"Go where?" Josh gave her a disgusted look.

"I thought it would be fun to climb the tree," Kim pointed to the large, old tree which had perfect branches for climbing.

"I personally thought you were a lady."

"I am!" Kim panicked, her eyes going wide.

"Ladies do not grab men and drag them to go climb a tree. How did you think you were going to climb up there in that, anyway?" he dramatically gestured to her skirts. Kim's face matched her hair when she realized she would have had to take off her skirts and climb up in her bloomers. Perhaps this wasn't her most lady-like moment. "I thought as much." Josh shook his head. "Miss Kimberly, I do like you very much, but I do not think there could be anything other than friendship between us. I do hope you understand." Basically, he just told her she wasn't marriage material and that made her want to cry. She was stronger than the average girl, so she didn't let him see her cry. Kim just nodded, giving him a fake smile, and was thankful when the bell struck, indicating everyone was to head back to the large home. "Coming?" he asked as he started to head back while Kim couldn't seem to move her legs.

"I will be there momentarily," she smiled broader, faker. Josh nodded to head back without her. She waited until he was so far away that there was no way she could catch up. Kim dragged her feet through the grass, defeated. How could a man not secretly want a woman who wasn't afraid to climb trees, run around, or get a little dirty? Boys definitely enjoyed that since her brothers were constantly covered in dirt from rolling around outside.

It was then and there that Kim decided not to go into the house and nap like she was supposed to do. Why was it that women were supposed to be so delicate and take a nap like a child while men drank and smoked to talk about politics or other worldly things? She was doomed to be stuck as a housewife, someone who wasn't supposed to know anything other than the idle gossip around town. She'd never really be able to travel and be like her mother who never did anything that important other than birth two boys to inherit everything.

Kim sighed. Boys were everything. If a woman could give birth to a big, healthy baby boy, give her husband a son, then she was seen as the perfect wife. Women were vessels to give birth to boys. That was it. Men ran the show. With a defeated slouch (as much as she could with her corset tied so tightly), Kim continued her way back to the house and was thankful nobody else remained outside to watch her take a plate and fill it up with food. She mostly put potato salad on it, needing the comfort food she was always craving, but was always advised not to eat.

Kim took the food, knowing people were going to come clean it up soon, and went inside the house. She avoided all of them men who were cooped up in the study, clouds of smoke evident in the class window on the door. Kim silently crept into a small room with a white couch in it and sat down to eat her food after she closed the door behind her.

With nobody looking, she began to devour the potato salad, shoving forkfuls in her mouth like a man. She grinned when she thought about what Joshua Mankey thought. _Screw him!_

Kim heard the door creak and realized it was open when she obviously closed it. Turning around, she saw a boy around Josh's age standing there with a large grin on his face. She was frozen on the spot with the fork resting in her right hand and the plate on her left. She stared at the brown eyed blond haired boy who continued to grin. He wasn't dressed like one of the elite, so she assumed he was a worker in his brown pants, red shirt, and suspenders that looked like they had once been white.

Kim swallowed the food in her mouth and set her plate and fork on the side table. Cheeks flushed, she turned away from him. "Ronald Stoppable," the boy introduced himself. "Just call me Ron."

"Kimberly Ann Possible," she introduced herself although she never introduced herself to someone of a lower class before. She was supposed to ignore people like him, but here she was, nodding when he asked to take a seat on the couch next to her.

"Miss Kimberly Ann Possible," Ron mused. "That's a mouthful!"

"And just who are you?" Kim asked him despite her better judgment.

"I'm the stable boy," he proudly stated. He stated his profession a little too proudly for such a job, and Kim wondered why the Mankey's paid someone to care for their horses rather than have free help.

"Then what are you doing in their home?" Kim asked.

"I live here when I'm not tending to the horses. They've been fed, cleaned, exercised. Yup, the Ron man has had a busy day today."

"I've never heard of such an arrangement," Kim replied with a smile.

"And I have never seen a lady stuff her face with potato salad." Kim's smile faltered. "I've also never had a lady of your status talk to me, either." She was able to make eye contact and she was mortified when he pointed at his cheek. She wiped her face with her hand, realizing she had a bit of food on her cheek the whole time. "I saw you earlier," Ron broke the silence. "I'm not surprised you aren't up there napping with all of the other women."

"Is that a compliment?" Kim asked him.

"I'd say yes," Ron shrugged. "You're different from them. Noticed it the second you stepped out of your family's carriage."

"How could you tell?" Kim queried.

"Not sure," he shrugged again. "I will say, it's not typical of me to talk to ladies of your status easily."

"Where are you exactly from, Master Stoppable?"

"Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina," he stated proudly.

"What are you doing here in Georgia?" Kim asked, mildly confused at how easy it was to talk to Ron. She liked watching how animated he was when he spoke when he told her he was finding his own way as a man. His family had never been wealthy and he wasn't really looking to get wealthy, but since he couldn't go off to college due to insufficient funds, Ron decided to figure out what he could do because he didn't want to struggle like his family. His father worked for a bank in Charleston, his mother a housewife. He had one sibling, a sister many years younger than him, that his parents took in because the mother died during childbirth and the father didn't want to raise her. It wasn't because the father didn't want her, but it was simply because he didn't have the means. Ron's father could barely support them as it was and baby Hana was the straw that broke the camel's back. Ron said he was helping his family financially when he decided to go to another state and work on a plantation. He sent a huge chunk of money back home every paycheck. The boy was selfless and didn't hesitate to tell her his life story.

When it was Kim's turn, she was brief. She didn't mention how she climbed trees or ran around at night when everyone else was sleeping. She didn't mention teaching Monique how to read or Wade who taught Kim about the world. Ron was just so open and genuine, and Kim was mildly jealous that he could be himself without being ridiculed. The freedom Ron had was what Kim craved, but she couldn't have it without breaking social norms.

"I feel like something's wrong," Ron frowned.

"What makes you think that?"

"Either you're embarrassed to talk to me or something's wrong because you have that huge pile of potato salad," Ron pointed to the side table. "And since you stopped blushing, I don't think you're embarrassed to talk to me, so you must be upset about something," Ron babbled.

Kim actually smiled. "It's stupid, really," Kim bit her lower lip.

"Does it have to do with a Miss Sheila Gordon? I kinda maybe saw you in an argument with her," Ron replied sheepishly. He scratched the back of his neck nervously. He was already overstepping his bounds for sure, but Kim actually felt relaxed speaking to him. She should have been angry. She should have felt other emotions other than the ones she was feeling. She shouldn't have felt comfortable sitting next to a commoner. She shouldn't have felt a little bit sad about the whole Shego situation. Most importantly, she shouldn't have talked to Ron.

"Perhaps," Kim sighed and leaned back against the couch. She didn't need to put up a show around Ron. After all, nobody would believe him anyway. "We were kind of friends. That might be a stretch."

"Would I be intruding if I asked what happened?" Ron asked. So, against her better judgment yet again, she explained to Ron that Miss Sheila slept around, according to the other girls. Shego didn't deny it. Kim felt she couldn't trust someone who wouldn't tell her the truth. As she talked to Ron, she realized how foolish she had been. Kim was afraid of people judging her and shunning her when she did the same exact thing to Shego. Sure, she was a thief and possibly slept around, but did that change anything between them? Did Shego's bad habits affect her in any way?

Kim stopped speaking mid-sentence, standing up abruptly. "Are you gonna eat the rest of that potato salad?" Ron called after her as Kim raced from the room, up the stairs, and into the room where all of the women were napping. Silently, Kim crept around the room looking for Shego. She saw Bonnie, Tara, the other girls. She even saw her mother.

If she didn't need to be quiet, she would have slapped herself in the face. Would Shego really be upstairs taking a nap? When Kim rushed out of the room, she had to stop herself from laughing at her own stupidity. She ran outside, picking up her skirts as she went. She ran towards the open fields, away from the cotton fields, and towards the gardens. The sun was beating down on her and caused her to sweat. At the moment, she didn't care that she was sweating profusely underneath the layers and layers she was forced to wear. Breathing was becoming tricky and she had to stop in the shade underneath a tree. She took in small gasps of breath.

"It might be easier to breathe if you take off that goddamn corset." Kim looked around for the voice and noticed skirts on the ground as well as a hoop, corset, and shoes. She looked up to see Shego sitting on a branch in a tree, not even concerned that she was only in her underclothes.

"Shego, I'm sorry," Kim said as she started to catch her breath.

Shego rolled her emerald eyes.

"It was not okay for me to agree with the other girls. I have no way of knowing whether or not it's true, about, you know…but I realized that does not matter. I still think it is wrong to sleep with a man you are not married to, but when it comes down to it, what you do does not affect my life."

"Princess, be quiet and come up here." Kim obliged. She took off her skirts, the hoop, kicked off her shoes, and climbed up expertly. She sat beside Shego, their legs dangling off of the branch of the tree. Kim couldn't explain it, but she felt as if her stomach dropped momentarily. She shook it off as nervousness. "If you associate yourself with me, then it does matter what I do." Sighing in defeat, Kim knew it was true. Why did other people have to judge others so harshly? Why did people view people in ways that just did not make sense? "This upper class society nonsense is ridiculous."

"How do I learn not to care as much as you?" Kim asked as she looked up at the taller girl. The shade from the leaves was comforting, but some sunlight was coming through the leaves and she had to squint.

"I never cared," Shego replied. "You're better off not being seen with me until you can deal with the ridicule."

"Like the rumors about you?" Kim pondered.

"Are they rumors?" Of course when there was a gust of wind, it blew in Shego's favor and her hair went behind her while Kim's went in front of her face and she knew she looked like a mess. At least most of her hair was pinned so it wasn't that disastrous of an event. She didn't miss Shego's chuckle that the slightly older girl didn't try to hide. "Look, obviously I will damage your reputation. We should just keep this as a secret."

"Keep our friendship a secret?" Kim tilted her head. "That doesn't seem fair to you. I don't care. Take me somewhere; take me somewhere fun. I want to have good, real fun, Shego."

"We have to build up to that," Shego paused for a moment. "We've got to work on your stamina. It is just atrocious."

"I was wearing a corset," Kim crossed her arms.

"Meet me by those peach trees of yours in two nights." Shego hopped down from the branch without climbing down, landing in a crouch expertly on the ground. Kim went to lean forward, clutching the branch in her hands. She couldn't bring herself to jump off from that high. Her heart thumped in her chest and she started to sweat nervously rather than from the heat. She went to let go, but couldn't. "We'll work on that, too," Shego said to break her out of her reverie.

Kim climbed down the tree. Shego began to dress herself, as if she had dressed herself many times before. Although it was easier to get out of her clothes, it was much harder to put them on. "Come over here," Shego said. She tied Kim's corset for her, the redhead telling her to pull it tighter and Shego obliged with a scoff. Kim turned around and saw Shego tying her own corset and putting her shoes on before she put her hoop and skirts on. Kim copied her sloppily and she decided she'd need to practice dressing herself. She shouldn't have to rely on Monique for something as mundane as putting her own clothes on. "We better hurry up," Shego said. "Naptime is almost over." She took Kim's hand and led her back to Joshua Mankey's house.

* * *

I hope some people who followed this story are still interested! I am going to try and update this frequently until it is complete. In this chapter, Ron is introduced. I played with the idea of him being rich, but I think Kim will develop more as a person if he isn't rich. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see between Kim and Ron (no M rated stuff, please). Please feel free to leave a review. This is my first time doing something like this and I love the feedback I was getting a while back. Thank you!


	7. Training

Dinner was dragging on. Kim had eaten quickly, which left her being scolded by her mother's eyes. She was meeting Shego later. This was all she could think about. Dinner seemed longer and more unbearable than usual. She noticed her brothers kicking each other under the table and continued to be jealous that they were boys and young enough to get away with being a little bit improper. She was pleasantly surprised to see her father eyeing them with a look of annoyance on his face. "Boys!" James' deep voice reverberated around the dining room. The twins stopped, Tim with a pea on his plate and ready to flick at Jim's face, and Jim didn't have a chance to launch the mashed potatoes. "You boys are nine, almost ten. I assumed you would have grown into knowing how to behave yourselves by now, like your sister, but I see you have not. Sit up straight, like gentlemen." Needless to say, everyone was shocked. James continued his meal while Kim and her mother shared a look of disbelief.

"James, Kimberly and I are going to go upstairs and get ready for bed," her mother managed to say. Kim nodded, and they were excused from dinner since it was getting late. The boys were left to fend for themselves, and Kim rushed up the stairs before her mother so she couldn't see the look of satisfaction on her face. She didn't really want to talk with her mother because they had nothing in common whatsoever, and Kim's secret life wasn't family friendly.

When she quickly entered her room and shut the door, Monique was already there waiting for her with a grin on her face. "Did you see what happened?" Kim asked excitedly.

"Oh, Miss Kimberly, you are terrible," Monique said jokingly, giving her a light tap on the arm. "But yes I did, and I'll be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it." She started to undress Kim from her multiple layers of clothes.

"I am going out tonight," Kim stated as she was helped into her nightclothes.

"Meeting Miss Sheila?" Monique asked, but she knew the answer. Kim nodded. "Tomorrow morning is bath day, so don't stay out too late."

"Thank you for the reminder. I forgot." Kim usually forgot the important things, which was why she was thankful for Monique for keeping her head on straight. Kim went over to the small water basin and decided there was no point in washing up. Instead, she sat at her vanity and Monique began to take the pins out of her hair. Finally, her red locks were allowed to relax. She felt the sweet relief of her scalp after a couple of moments of pain. Monique brushed her hair and commented on why she should even bother because Kim was bound to get up to something that night.

Kim wanted to have Monique come along, but she knew she'd decline. Kim understood. Although her freedoms were limited, Monique's were even more limited and she didn't want to get her best friend in trouble. Also, Monique wasn't really into climbing trees or running around in the middle of the night. She was thankful to have Monique who was here to cover for her whenever she needed it. "Is Wade stopping by the library tonight?"

"No, I don't think so," Monique replied. "He's had some really long days."

"I should mention that to my father," Kim frowned.

"No, Miss Kimberly, you shouldn't. He's fine, really. Wade is just tired, is all."

"Well, all right," Kim shrugged. She had more pressing matters to attend to like waiting for everyone to go to bed so she could sneak out of the house.

Eventually Kim was able to sneak out. She tip-toed down the halls and successfully got outside. Kim ran as fast as she could through the land, her feet pounding at the dirt when they weren't brushing against the thick grass. She didn't take a candle or lantern with her because the moon was full that night and the stars were bright enough to guide her. Her feet were rough enough so that the occasional rock wouldn't cut into her foot. If her mother ever saw her feet, she'd be appalled! Kim laughed at that while she ran towards the peach trees, and she thought of her brothers getting in trouble at dinner. They deserved it and she was glad, absolutely giddy with the thought. She couldn't wait to tell Shego!

Kim reached the peach trees and panted, looking through the rows of them to find Shego. Her lungs burned from her run, but she felt great after her run as per usual. She wondered why people didn't go for runs. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead. She briefly looked up and smiled when she saw Shego swinging from the tree branch in one of her brother's pants, a rope tied around the belt loops to keep them up. Shego pumped her legs and swung herself higher. Kim watched in awe as Shego flung her body and grabbed onto the branch of the adjacent tree. She pushed her body up and over it before landing on her feet, her legs slightly bent.

"Putting on a show?" Kim grinned.

"Like what you saw, Princess?" Shego smirked.

Kim boldly grabbed Shego's hands. "You absolutely must show me how you did it!"

"I will in time," Shego pulled her hands away. "We have to start at the beginning."

"We?" Kim wondered.

"Well, really you will be starting at the beginning. I noticed that without that awful corset, you are a decent runner, so your stamina isn't shit."

"Shego!" Kim blushed at the curse word.

"Sorry, I forgot you're a prude."

"I don't want to be," Kim mumbled.

"Come on, Kimmie. I brought you some pants," Shego said as went over to a large brown bag which she rummaged through. She took out a pair of trousers and a button down shirt. Kim blushed as she took off her nightgown, standing briefly in her undergarments before putting on the clothes provided for her. Shego tucked Kim's shirt in and wrapped a rope around the pants, tying it in a knot, just like her own look she had going on. Shego cuffed the sleeves so they didn't cover Kim's hands. "You are quite modest," Shego pointed out. "Lucky for you, the night is cooler so you will probably be fine in these." Kim nodded. Shego tied her hair back with an elastic hair tie, something Kim didn't own. Shego then tied her own hair back. Kim felt this was a crude way to pull back her hair. However, she had to start getting rid of those thoughts from her head because those were damaging. Kim felt she had to be less judgmental if she ever wanted to be like Shego.

Kim's training began. She started off doing simple stretches. She envied Shego's unheard of flexibility as Kim struggled to lean forward and reach her feet. Sure, her stamina was good and all, but she was not limber in the slightest. Shego explained to Kim that if she stretched her body just a little bit every single day, she'd be able to put her head on her knees in no time.

Next, they ran. Kim was a good runner, but she was nothing like the black haired girl who was a little bit faster than her. It wasn't too difficult to keep up until Kim eventually ran out of breath and had to stop. Panting, she noted Shego's impressive stamina and had to bite her tongue to stop herself from asking the other girl where she learned to run like that. Shego wasn't one to talk about her past. Shego was impressed with her, though, and Kim beamed at the compliment.

Due to the tree climbing, Kim was definitely stronger than most girls. Since clothes covered Kim up most of the time, she never really noticed that she was somewhat toned in the arms and legs. Shego pointed this out when she pushed Kim's sleeve up and made her flex her biceps and triceps. When Shego told Kim to flex her leg, she told Kim to feel it and the girl did. It was hard as a rock! How had this happened? Women were generally supposed to have softer bodies even if they flexed their muscles. Kim smiled with pride as Shego explained that the tree climbing plus the running defined her muscles without her knowing it.

"I'm impressed, Kimmie," Shego said as Kim did five push-ups in a row. Kim sat on the ground, panting from various other exercises Shego had her do in order to improve her coordination and strength. "Many women here aren't active. They'd rather sit around and host little tea parties or whatnot. But you-you are different; you're more different than I originally thought. Once we work on your flexibility, you'll be able to keep up with me."

"You do not think I could keep up with you right now?" Kim challenged and hopped to her feet without stumbling.

"You can try." The smirk on Shego's lips told Kim she wasn't ready in the slightest. Despite knowing this, Kim wasn't going to give up. So, Kim and Shego raced through the peach trees as they dodged and darted around them. There was no finish line and no end destination. Shego ran quickly and swiftly through the dirt and grass while Kim followed. Kim pumped her legs and kept her tired muscles going as long as they could until she had to stop. Her lungs burned when she sat down on the ground. Taking in deep breaths, she lay down on the grass. Kim didn't know when Shego noticed she wasn't running after her anymore. Kim looked to the side and saw Shego on the ground beside her. The two stared up at the sky, the stars incredibly bright that night, and the two were content as their breathing slowed.

"Shego, can I ask you a question?" Kim asked.

"You just did." Kim noticed Shego's eyes were closed, her arms tucked underneath her head for support. Kim adjusted herself so that she was partially sitting up with her forearms supporting her weight.

"Are you annoyed that we only meet up with each other during the night?"

"Why, you suddenly want to be seen with me during daytime?" Shego sighed.

"Well, I…" Kim trailed, unable to come up with an answer. On the one hand, she shouldn't care about being seen with her, but on the other hand, she would be embarrassed being seen with a girl who had such a horrible reputation. Kim had a good reputation, and she didn't want to ruin it. "We can go to a secluded place."

"Where do you have in mind?"

"I do not know," Kim admitted. "I was hoping you would have an idea."

"I guess one of us has to be competent," Shego smirked, eyes still closed.

"I am plenty competent!" Kim sat up fully to glare down at Shego who opened an emerald eye briefly, but didn't flinch. Shego just cackled. Kim crossed her arms in a huff.

"I do have a tendency to remain hidden when I do not want to be found," Shego replied nonchalantly. "However, I believe some night training will still do you some good. You have got to be trained to be more alert."

"I am plenty alert," Kim frowned. "I am not some damsel in distress."

"KImmie, if I thought that, I wouldn't give you any mind." Shego sat up and Kim suddenly felt very small. "You're different, just like me. I just have the guts to show it. You, on the other hand, hide it and I know you hate that. Once you grow a thicker skin, then we can play with the possibility of meeting during the daytime."

"You are saying I am weak," Kim stated matter-of-factly.

"I am. You are different, Kimmie, but you are not on my level." Shego stood up to start walking away. Kim shuffled to her feet as quickly as she could.

"And what _is_ your level, pray tell?"

"We both know what is going to happen in a few years. You will end up married to some rich man twice your age."

Kim clenched her hands into fists. "And who says you will not be?"

"With my reputation, I will never be married and that is exactly what I want."

"Is it?"

"I am too independent to be tied down for long, Pumpkin. Marriage is not the life for me. I will be traveling the world, never settling down."

"I think you are afraid to settle down," Kim mumbled.

"You are afraid to settle down because once you do, you will never be able to come out at night again, or run, or climb trees, or anything. After all, what wealthy, upper class man would want a woman who can do everything you can do?" Angrily, Kim took off the pants and the shirt in favor of her nightgown. She wouldn't admit to Shego that she liked wearing the pants. Tears sprung to Kim's eyes because she knew Shego was right. Kim had no idea why she wanted to marry even though she'd never be able to have simple freedoms again. The things she liked was taboo, the things she enjoyed was taboo. Kim was doomed to a life of unhappiness because in the long run, she would do what was expected of her. Kim knew she'd marry a man twice her age, have a couple of children, and give up everything she loved about life. She watched as Shego walked away, her hips swaying more than the average woman would ever allow. She held her head high with confidence, confidence Kim didn't have.

Kim was jealous; she was jealous her life would never compare to Shego's. It wasn't fair. Nothing was ever really fair in her life. She couldn't be like Shego, but she wanted to be. That anger that boiled beneath her turned into rage. She ran as fast as she could and went to tackle Shego to the ground. Kim didn't expect Shego to react so quickly, grabbing her arm and flipping her over onto her back. Kim gasped for breath. Shego sat on her hips, her wrists pinned above her hands. She desperately tried to struggle free, but Shego was incredibly strong.

"I am not giving up what little freedom I have to follow the societal norms. You shouldn't, either." Kim stopped struggling and looked up into Shego's eyes, those eyes that were so expressive. "I'll see you tomorrow after lunch." Shego got up off of Kim and left, the younger girl left in the grass still trying to catch her breath.

* * *

As always, I appreciate the support!


	8. Limited

Kim contemplated not meeting up with Shego after lunch. She was tempted to go upstairs and take a nap so she could have a solo nighttime adventure on the plantation. Obviously, the nap did not happen, and Kim managed to sneak away when her mother went to go have tea with a neighbor. Kim was invited, but she politely opted out of it and claimed she had a horrendous night's sleep. Her father was nowhere to be seen as well as her brothers, so Kim had wandered off to the peach trees where nobody ever was. Shego was already there and Kim's breath hitched in her throat when she saw Shego wearing pants and a shirt in the daytime. Kim blushed for unknown reasons; perhaps seeing a woman in trousers was something she was not used to, but this didn't make sense since she had seen Shego in her underclothes before. "How do you plan on doing anything in that?" Shego asked rhetorically, pointing at Kim in her hoopskirt and usual attire. Her dress was a medium blue with white lace trimming today, one of her favorites. Kim appreciated good fashion even if she hated wearing it.

"I do not think I would have made it this far dressed as you are," Kim gestured to the trousers which were much too large for Shego if it weren't for the rope.

Shego simply dismissed Kim's answer with an eye roll and opened up her brown satchel. Kim had only seen this at night and never saw how beat up the old fabric really was. "It is a good thing I predicted this and brought you more comfortable clothes," Shego sighed and presented them to Kim.

"And what do I do with my clothes?" Kim queried.

"I'll take care of them." Once Kim changed with the older girl's help, Shego tossed Kim's clothes in the tall grass. The hoop was still slightly visible, but it wasn't like anyone would go this far anyway. Kim had to trust Shego knew exactly what she was doing or else she wouldn't have the nerve to get this far.

Kim trekked after Shego and off of her family's property. Kim realized she had never been off of the property before without an escort, and she grinned with self-gratification. This was the first step into becoming a real adventurer like Shego, and she marveled at the thought. She walked through the tall grass and was thankful for the change of clothes. Walking over branches and pushing the taller plants out of the way would have been impossible. The dead leaves crunched under her feet with every step she took. The trees only let some sun shine down on them, the light scattered across the ground. Kim wondered why she never wandered this far away before and decided she should go exploring on her own. Distracted, Kim tripped over a tree root and stumbled a couple of steps into Shego who only gave her a smirk.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked after she regained her footing.

"Just to my family's property. There's a pond there."

"A pond?" Kim went to straighten out her dress, but quickly realized she wasn't wearing one, not even a nightgown.

"My brother had one built, but never put any fish in it. I will admit, it is not the best pond for swimming, but it rained recently, so the water hasn't been completely stagnant."

"Swimming? Shego, I don't know how to swim."

"You will have to learn quickly," Shego shrugged. "My brother made it only one depth, and I can barely touch the bottom with my feet. Like everything else, I'll teach you."

When they arrived at the pond, Kim blushed furiously when she noticed the pond was out in the open and she had to change into a bathing gown Shego placed aside for her next to a towel. She bit the inside of her cheek when Shego carelessly tossed her own clothes on the ground, keeping her underclothes on. Kim swallowed hard when Shego took her underclothes off, leaving her briefly naked right in front of Kim. Time slowed. She knew she should look away, but she just couldn't- not before seeing Shego's natural curves and the profile of her well-developed breasts.

Shego was incredibly beautiful. Physically, she was what every single man desired. In comparison, Kim's body was more on the petite side, and she felt conscious of her own body. How was she supposed to take her clothes off right there in front of Shego? The only person who saw Kim naked was Monique, but that was completely different. Or was it?

Shego's bathing clothes were on, and the older girl sighed when she noticed Kim didn't change. "Don't be such a prude." Kim stood there motionless as Shego stomped over to her and began to undress her. Kim's cheeks felt hotter as she covered herself up with her arms, unable to form words. Expertly, Shego dressed Kim, putting the top over the bottoms so Kim could change out her bottoms without exposing anything.

"How'd you do that so quickly?" Kim fought the stutter.

"I used to dress my younger brothers every day," Shego responded.

"Didn't you have a sl…servant for that?" Kim queried.

"We don't have any," Shego replied before running to the pond and jumping in. Confused, Kim walked over to the pond and forgot about Shego's little tidbit of information about herself. She'd think of it later. At the moment, Kim was focusing on the pond and bit her lower lip nervously. She sat down on the stiff grass to dangle her feet in the water. The water was refreshing in the hot Georgia heat.

"Just slide in," Shego demanded. "I'll catch you so you don't drown." Kim nodded slowly and put her trust in a girl who lied and stole from other people, including the Possible family peaches that had long since been forgotten. Kim slid in and let out a scream of fright. She flailed in the water, panicking and splashing because Shego did not catch her like she promised. She couldn't catch her breath, her green eyes wide with terror. "Stop panicking!" Shego yelled at her with annoyance and not a hint of concern in her voice. Kim began to grasp for Shego to grab something to hold onto, anything. "Goddammit, Kimmie! Just turn around and grab the grass!"

Kim reached behind her and, oh, she wasn't far from the side. Embarrassed out of her mind, Kim turned her body and held onto the grass. Leave it to Shego to cackle at Kim's uncomfortableness. She couldn't even look at the other girl and kept her eyes trained on the grass gripped between her fingers. "You don't have to laugh at me," the redhead mumbled.

"Perhaps when you stop acting like such a princess, Princess," Shego pointed out. "Here, turn around."

"Why would I do that?" Kim pouted. She knew she was being childish, but she felt like a fool.

"Come on." She could just imagine Shego rolling her eyes.

"I can't," Kim said under her breath.

"Kimmie." The irritation in that nickname was evident.

"I'm afraid," Kim admitted.

"Since when are you ever afraid of something like this? For Christ's sake, you climb trees! That is quite a bit more dangerous than being in some little pond." Kim's grip relaxed. Despite the curse word, Shego was right; Kim wasn't afraid. Slowly, she turned around and kept one hand on the grass, but was more relaxed. Shego was closer than she thought and seemed to be standing on her feet with her shoulders just above the water. With that trademark smirk, Shego grabbed Kim's arms to fully turn her, forcing her to let go of the side of the pond. Tentatively, Kim relaxed her legs and found she could easily touch the bottom, her shoulders only just covered by a thin layer of water.

Kim fumed. "Shego! You just lied to me!" Her eyes squinted when she looked at her due to both of the direction of the sun and her annoyance.

"And you are surprised about that because…?" Shego trailed, but her hands still remained on Kim's arms. "I have got to admit you've got some kind of backbone if you slid on in here thinking you wouldn't be able to reach the bottom." Shego let Kim's arms go quickly, but not because she was nervous in any way. Shego's movements always seemed to be quick, calculated, and fluid. This was probably the first time Kim truly wondered why Shego learned to be this way rather than the how. It was obvious she had money, and her brothers were respected among everyone else around. There was really no reason why Shego was so different from other women, was there? Kim thought about herself and how she lived literally the perfect life in her great, big house on their great, big piece of land that seemed to go on forever. Kim knew her eyes were opened by Shego, but who opened up Shego's eyes?

Shego lied many times to Kim that day, such as promising to hold on to Kim the whole time she floated on her back; only, Kim found that she was actually floating on top of the water herself. A similar situation was when Kim went onto her stomach, splaying her limbs out, which she found highly inappropriate to do with her legs. That was only at first. Kim got used to her face being in the water, held her breath, and kicked vigorously into the water as she held on to Shego's arms, Kim's pale legs making large splashes. Shego promised Kim would be swimming in no time, but she had to master treading water first, something Kim struggled at.

Real swimming would be for another day. For now, Kim lay down on the ground on her towel beside Shego underneath an umbrella Shego stabbed into the ground earlier to keep the sun out of their eyes. The hot sun was evaporating the water off of their wet clothes, skin, and hair. Kim took in a deep, contented breath.

"After I learn how to swim, what else can you teach me?" Kim asked when Shego sat up to brush her dark locks.

"What do you want to learn?" Shego smirked. Kim sat up just enough so her forearms were supporting her weight.

"I am not sure what else there is to learn," Kim shrugged.

"So innocent," Shego sighed and tossed the brush on the ground. She lay back down on her towel and closed her eyes. "You ever ride a horse?"

"Of course," Kim replied.

"I bet you side saddle."

"How else can I ride?" Kim queried.

"Straddling it like a man," Shego cackled, probably imagining the look of shock on Kim's face.

"That is…I mean…that is just so…so…"

"You love the scandal," Shego replied calmly as she opened up her eyes to look up at Kim. Kim opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. "And you love the very idea that you will be caught one day." Kim bit her lower lip and wondered if that was true. The thought of it did excite her, but she was mostly afraid. She knew she'd be disowned by her family, forced to leave the plantation she was born on. She doubted anything she had been doing would impress her parents.

"Were you ever caught?" Kim finally asked.

"I would not say I was ever _caught_. I have been the way I am since the day I was born. I do not put on an act, which is why I usually do not accompany my brothers unless I promise to behave like a proper lady." Shego looked at her nails and inspected them. They were always well kept even though she was always up to something that involved using her hands. Kim's hands were rougher than they should have been due to the tree climbing. She wondered just how tough Shego's hands were and wondered if she had calluses on her palms.

"It must be nice to be yourself without worrying about what others will think," Kim sighed. "If I ever straddled a horse, I do not think I could live that down if someone saw me."

"Please, Kimmie," Shego scoffed and stood up without using her hands to push off from the ground. "You are afraid to lose your home, am I right? You think your parents will kick you out. So what? You will be kicked out soon when you are forced to be married. That whole goddamn plantation will never be passed down to you. Even if you didn't have your brothers, it would probably go to an uncle or male cousins before it ever went to you or your mother. Your future husband's property will never truly be yours. He will let you live there as long as you're compliant, but you will never actually own it. So, why do we have to act in such a way when we get nothing in return?" Shego paused. "But if you remain unmarried, it is possible to rent your own place and stay independent. You give all of that up once you are married."

"You really never want to marry, do you?" Kim queried.

"Not particularly. However, the one benefit of marriage is you get a decent place to live. Most women who are unmarried and live alone have dreadful living conditions." Shego began to walk, so Kim followed her. She had no idea where they were going still dressed in their swim clothes. Kim pondered what Shego just explained. She was correct in every word; the moment a woman got married, she gave up what little rights she had. Shego seemed like the kind of person who never wanted to give up any small amount of freedom. Kim didn't think she wanted to give that up, either. However, the idea of marriage still intrigued her, and she wanted that happily ever after.

Shego stopped walking, and Kim stopped several feet behind her. She watched Shego's hair blow behind her, her clothes rippling in the wind. They were stopped in front of a lone tree with a swing attached to it. Kim noticed it was made of old rope and a piece of wood for the seat. "I want to go to New York City. I will live there one day, Kimmie."

"Why is that?" Kim asked.

"Women have more rights there. Married women can own property. Here, you lose everything. And there's just more freedom in general with less rules to live by. Many different kinds of people live in the city. It's just so backwards down here, and I hate it."

For once, Kim could tell that Shego was being truthful. Her body language was not as rigid and open as it usually was; her arms were crossed over her stomach and she didn't look straight ahead like she was ready to take on the world. This look didn't last long, and Shego was back to herself, her shoulders rolled back and her arms at her sides. Kim didn't say anything when Shego approached the swing. "I bet you never sat on one of these," Shego said with the rope of the swing in her hand. Kim let out a small laugh before shaking her head. "Come on, sit down." Kim obliged and sat down on the piece of wood. She wobbled, but managed to maintain her balance. Her feet didn't touch the patches of grass below her, indicating someone came here often to swing. "This was here before we moved here. I don't think my brothers are aware that it exists."

"Do you use it often?"

"Mmhmm," Shego hummed. "Now, hold onto the ropes." Kim peeled one hand off of the wood at a time to grip the rope on both sides. She held them tightly, squealing when Shego let go of the swing. Kim had to rely on her own balance to stay on and needless to say, she was a little bit scared. The fall wasn't that high up, so if she fell, she knew it wouldn't be the end of the world. Once she adjusted to the feel of the swing, she looked up confidently at Shego.

"I'm ready," Kim grinned.

Shego smirked, nodded, and put her hands at the small of Kim's back. Kim blushed for the hundredth time that day. She held on and kept herself in place when Shego gave her a big push, and then another, and another until Kim was soaring! Kim laughed with glee at the thrill of swinging higher and higher until she eventually plateaued. It felt as if she was flying! No, she was flying! Every time Kim swung back, she'd feel Shego press against her lower back and continue to push her.

Despite the hot Georgia air, it felt cool against Kim's exposed skin as she swung. She groaned when she felt herself losing altitude, Shego eventually grabbing the ropes to stop her after she was no longer swinging up high. Kim turned her body slightly to get a better look at the slightly older girl. Everything about her was just beautiful, phenomenal. Kim didn't know what she would do without her because Shego was her outlet, her way of being _free_.

Kim hopped off of the swing while Shego hopped on unconventionally: she held onto the ropes, lifting her body up and over the block of wood, before sitting on it. She ushered Kim to stand back. Kim watched as Shego leaned forward while tucking her legs underneath the swing, followed by leaning back and straightening her legs out in front of her. Kim watched in awe as Shego began to go higher and higher without any help at all.

Kim wasn't afraid when she watched Shego grasp the rope higher and lift her bottom off of the seat. She wasn't afraid when Shego's feet met the plank, and she was now standing, slowly extending her legs. Kim was amazed when Shego continued to keep the swing going at its current height, her body obscenely thrusting forward and backward to keep up the momentum. When the swing was at its highest peak, Kim watched Shego jump off of it, her body rolling onto the ground to minimalize impact with the ground. Before Kim could blink, Shego was standing back up, a proud look on her face. "That was breathtaking!" Kim exclaimed. Before she knew what she was doing, she was running up to Shego and hugging her fiercely.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Down, Pumpkin," Shego said. "Down, or there will be consequences!" Kim didn't listen, but merely looked up at her and grinned. She knew Shego was showing off to show her what she would one day be capable of and Kim was beyond excited. Kim couldn't do anything when Shego lifted her up bridal style, and began to jog. Kim let out a small scream at the sudden movement and adjusted herself so her hands were clasped behind Shego's neck. "I warned you," Shego grumbled. Kim saw the little pond and her face paled when she realized what Shego was going to do.

"Don't you dare!" Kim suddenly felt trapped. Currently, she had no choice but to eventually be tossed into the pond. Currently, she had no choice but to be a perfect lady, get married in a few years, and give up all of her freedoms; there would be no more late night outings, no more reading books. She'd be trapped just like her mother was, and the horror of that reality seemed too much in the moment. "Shego, stop!" Kim screamed. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Put me down!"

Kim was surprised when Shego set her down on her feet. Legs shaking, Kim unclasped her hands from behind her neck, her hands trembling. Dramatically, she fell to the ground and felt foolish as she sat there with tears welling in her eyes. "Kimmie?" Shego queried, comforting others obviously not one of her strengths. "I didn't think you would be this frightened to get tossed in a pond."

"No," Kim shook her head. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" Through the blurs caused by her unshed tears, Kim noticed Shego cock an eyebrow when she spoke.

"I am not ready to lose the freedoms that I do have. I know they are rather limited, but I do not want to lose them," Kim spoke quickly, then looked at the ground to pick at the stiff blades of grass. "When I marry, I will lose everything."

Shego knelt down in front of her. "How old are you?" Shego asked her.

"Fourteen," Kim sniffed.

"You have a number of years before all of this happens. I am sixteen, and I have no plans to start looking for a husband anytime soon," Shego explained.

"Yes, but you will never marry and maintain a life. I am not like you, Shego, and I will marry someday."

"Then I will just have to make sure you live while you can. And who knows? Maybe your perspectives in life will change when I'm done with you," Shego smirked. Kim merely nodded. "Come on, let's get actual clothes on and I'll walk you to your other clothes." Kim burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "Don't get too cocky," Shego stood up. "I am never this nice." Kim stood up with a chuckle and followed Shego.

* * *

Sorry for the delayed update! Some personal things came up, but now I have time again to write :)

And yes, I checked when married women could own property in Georgia before posting this. They could not own property until 1868 whereas in New York, they could own property in 1848. Interesting stuff. This story is requiring me to dig a little deeper. For example, I was going to have a playground where the only swing was in the story, but I found out the first public playground wasn't introduced until the 20th century.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who continues to read this story despite the sporadic, delayed uploads. I still love to hear what you think in a review or PM!


	9. The Stable Boy

"What do you mean I must go with my family to Joshua Mankey's? We were just there for a barbeque not too long ago," Kim sighed, falling down onto the bed with a thump. Monique took a deep breath as she let Kim complain. "There is no point for me to go over there. Why would I go when I was so completely and utterly rejected?" Kim didn't cry about the rejection anymore, but she was definitely angry at the brown haired boy. She had no desire to marry someone who could so easily turn her away, and in the long run, she knew it could never work; however, it didn't mean she wanted to see him again. It was just so infuriating how Josh could have done that to her! She didn't need to be reminded of what she lost, no, what he lost that day. Kim smiled at the thought.

"Miss Kimberly, you know your families are close. Just because Master Josh says it's over, doesn't mean it's over. Your parents will still try to get this marriage set up. Just be lucky he is only a few years older than you instead of twice your age," Monique explained. She grabbed Kim's hands and pulled her up into a sitting position before taking a seat on Kim's bed. "He could have been mad that day 'cause you wanted to go climb trees with him. He'd be foolish to _still_ be mad about that."

"Yes," Kim smiled softly. "You may be right."

"Girl, I am right," Monique stated confidently.

"Usually you are," Kim stood up. "And do not rub it in."

"I will rub it in as much as I want," Monique stated confidently. "Now let's get you dressed for the day and I'll put a little bit of extra makeup on you so it actually looked like you slept more than three hours last night."

"I was practicing," Kim explained as Monique dressed her. Last night, Kim climbed up trees and jumped from them. Not too high, but higher than she would normally dare. She remembered how Shego jumped off of the moving swing, tucking herself into a ball and rolling as she hit the ground. She also recalled how Shego jumped from a tree many nights ago and how she landed on her feet by bending her knees. Kim knew she could have gotten hurt, but she was more excited about jumping off of the trees and the rush she felt when she stood up on a branch. Kim was thankful for the modest clothing because it covered up the bruises from when Kim didn't exactly land correctly.

"Ah," Monique nodded as she finished getting Kim ready for the day. "Practicing."

"I really do not want to go today," Kim grumbled. Monique handed her a biscuit since Kim missed breakfast. Kim was grateful for Monique always covering for her so she could get in an extra hour of sleep. She owed Monique everything, and maybe someday, she'd be able to give Monique anything she wanted.

"Don't you want to marry someday?" Monique asked her seriously. Kim looked her in the eyes, but didn't have a response. Everything was so confusing lately that she had no idea what she wanted.

Kim shrugged. "What do you want out of life?"

"It doesn't matter what I want," Monique gave her a sad smiled.

"But it does!" Kim urged. "You're my best friend. It matters to me."

"Miss Kimberly, I believe you forget my purpose is to serve you. There's nothing else I want."

Kim put down her half eaten biscuit. It was true: Kim had a tendency to forget Monique was given to her, as if she was an object. Kim frowned and for the first time, Kim truly wondered why people were categorized by race when Monique was a girl, just like her. She didn't have time to continue the conversation since Monique hurried her down the stairs as the family was getting ready to leave for the Mankey residence.

Kim couldn't stop thinking about what Monique said when she arrived at the Mankey's. She was polite, but distracted and couldn't focus on the lunch conversation. She lamely picked at her food and was thankful for once that she wasn't expected to eat much. She was also thankful her brothers weren't there and stayed at home with Monique. She stifled a laugh at the thought since her brothers were quite the handful. Josh gave her a strange look, but she ignored it. She wanted nothing to do with Joshua Mankey. He didn't want anything to do with her, either. Their mothers and fathers thought otherwise and were obviously trying to set them up. Kim painfully smiled when she needed to, and shoved food in her mouth when she thought someone was going to address her.

"Joshua will be going abroad for a year starting in November," Josh's father stated proudly. "He will be going to Paris for his art."

"Why, isn't that lovely?" Mrs. Possible remarked, then looked at her daughter for a response. Kim smiled without showing her teeth and nodded. The conversation turned to art with Josh speaking extensively on the subject. Kim thought his artwork was good, but it wasn't great. Wade wasn't particularly educated on the subject of art. Despite this, he helped Kim look through books to help educate her further on the arts. She knew the superficial aspects she was told she needed to know. Kim read about technique and what made certain artists great. Compared to art that lived on, Josh's art was rather bland. His works were generally generic portraits or landscapes, not much different from the artists who painted portraits for a living. She knew Josh wasn't pursuing to be an artist who sat on a stool and paint wealthy families; he told her once that he wanted to be remembered by his artwork.

"It is lovely," Kim replied slowly. She tuned out a majority of the conversation that followed as her eyes wandered around the room to look at various pieces of artwork. The one on the far wall was Josh's work. It was something he created when he was somewhere in Europe. It was a simple portrait of a girl. It was realistic, but his art had no distinct style. It was generic and nothing special. It was framed in a frame the color of gold, a frame too extravagant for such a simple picture. She overheard Josh say how he admired Leonardo da Vinci; that was really all she picked up.

"Enlighten us on what you know about art, Miss Kimberly," Josh smiled, but Kim knew he was condescending. He wanted her to make a fool of herself, to show that she was not marriage material. He wanted her to be a fool and show how she wasn't listening to a word he was saying.

"There is so much to know," Kim played along. "What would you like me to elaborate on?" She chose her words carefully so as not to disappoint her parents. She had no qualms about what Josh thought of her.

"What do you think of da Vinci's work?" Josh was testing her.

Although Kim just thought of her parents, she completely forgot about them in the moment when Josh gave her the most arrogant smirk he could muster. "His work on the human body is admirable. His work within the science of anatomy was spectacular. I will say dissecting around thirty human bodies is a tad morbid, but we learned so much from them. He was remembered primarily as an artist, but produced more scientific-like work in my humble opinion."

Josh's eyes went wide. His eyes bore into Kim as if she said something she shouldn't have. Talking about autopsies at the table was probably not something she should have talked about. "Kimberly," her father said in a gruff voice. Kim slowly looked to her left and swallowed thickly; her parents were right there.

"That is it!" Josh said in a low voice. He stood up abruptly and caused the chair to scratch against the expensive wood floor. "I cannot marry her. I _will_ _no_ t marry her!" Josh glared at her. Kim felt herself about to cry. It wasn't like she cared what he said, but she kind of did. She hated his reaction which showed her how undesirable she was as marriage material. Kim felt at that moment she would never marry.

Time slowed. Kim started to plan how she'd follow Shego to New York and then they could live together, unmarried, in an apartment in one of those tall buildings she read about in a book about the city. Nobody in the Northern states knew she existed, so she'd be able to be herself with minimal judgement because the expectations there were vastly different, or so she read.

"Kimberly must not be feeling well," Ann stated. "Perhaps we should take her home."

"No," Kim swallowed. "I…I just need some air. Excuse me." Kim stood and rushed out of the Mankey home. She held up her skirts so she could travel faster. She ran as fast as her hoopskirt would allow. She heard her father calling after her with evident anger in his tone. She continued to run, not looking back. She knew he wouldn't stop her because he wasn't about to make a fool of himself and run. Kim was thankful her father stuck to the stereotypical wealthy plantation owner; he wasn't physically fit like her. Kim noticed she had toned muscles recently. Her stomach was firmer and she liked the muscles in her arms and legs when she flexed them. Her legs easily carried her towards the stables where she could hide out for the rest of eternity.

Or at least until it got dark. She'd figure out how to get back home once she wasn't mortified.

Kim lightly panted when she reached the stables where the horses were kept. The horses were currently out grazing in the fields and enjoying the day. There were a total of six of them- two white, four chestnut- and they all seemed happy to have the freedom of roaming around wherever they wanted. Kim didn't notice a fence keeping them in, so she wondered what kept them from running away. After that running and the ridiculous amount of layers she was forced to wear, Kim knew she was a sweaty mess. She made her way towards the barn, which she discovered was empty.

Kim put her forearm over her head as the heat had gotten to her. Kim didn't think twice about taking off her skirts, stripping all the way down to her chemise. She took in a deep breath when she loosened the corset enough for her to slip it over her head while keeping it laced up so she could put it back on later. She took off her shoes before collapsing against a pile of hay. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly as she cleared the negative thoughts out of her head. For now, she didn't need to think about the confrontation with her parents.

It wasn't long before Kim heard hooves hitting the earth in a gallop, which were getting closer and closer to the stables. Kim didn't think much of it since she assumed it was a horse returning from its casual grazing. It wasn't until she heard a voice and a man tell the horse that it did a great job. She was frozen in her spot when she saw the man lead the horse over to the water trough just outside the stables. "Gotta turn the hay for you guys, Rufus. I'll come out and join you in a bit." For cover, Kim grabbed her under petticoat, being sure to hide a majority of her body. She knew hiding wasn't going to help because there simply wasn't a place _to_ hide. Kim just awaited the inevitable.

Of course the man, or rather young man, was Ron Stoppable who was the Mankey's stable boy Kim met at the barbeque. She didn't make a sound as he began to turn over the hay and cleaning up the stables. When he saw Kim sitting in a pile of hay and some of her clothes thrown to the side, Ron let out a scream and dropped his rake. Ron backed up and proceeded to trip over a bucket of horse feed. Ron's arms flailed as he desperately tried to find something to grip so he wouldn't fall, but failed and comically fell on the hard floor of the stable. "Ow," he moaned as he rubbed his lower back. "I didn't see anything!" Ron exclaimed as he struggled to get onto his feet. He had an arm covering his eyes as he stood, but proceeded to step on the rake he dropped and fell again, this time flat on his back. Kim had to stifle a laugh because the scene before her was just so ridiculous. "What is happening?" Ron cried out. His eyes were still tightly shut and Kim realized he was more embarrassed than her despite her being practically naked.

"Master Stoppable, I assure you it is okay if you open your eyes. I am covered up," Kim assured him. Still on the ground, Ron opened up one eye and visibly relaxed.

"I told you when we met to call me Ron," Ron reminded her sheepishly as his right hand started to rub the back of his neck. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bust in on you like this. I didn't expect to come back to a pretty girl, er…" he trailed nervously.

"No," Kim giggled. "This is entirely my fault and I apologize," Kim insisted.

"How come you're here? Not that I don't want you here," Ron added hastily. "I just, I mean, um, it's just unexpected, is all."

Kim let out a sigh. "I'd rather not speak about it, if that is all right with you. I just could not sit in there with the Mankeys and my parents anymore."

"Say no more," Ron stood up successfully this time. "I'll saddle up another horse while you change. But maybe don't put that thing on," Ron pointed to the hoop. "It'll probably get in the way." Kim nodded. Before she could say anything, Ron was off with a saddle and equipment in hand to go ready another horse. Kim quickly dressed herself and put on the rest of her layers accordingly. She should have been more embarrassed and she should have felt ashamed, but she found she was neither of those things. It was strange how she felt as calm as she did and how comfortable she felt around a stable boy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was a stable boy and didn't hold the same expectations for women as people of her class did.

Kim slipped on her shoes and made her way outside where Ron was waiting for her with two horses saddled. Kim frowned when she noticed there wasn't a side saddle on either of the horses, which she pointed out to Ron. His face heated up when he explained that the missus didn't ride horses, but merely admired them, so the Mankey's never purchased women's riding gear. Secretly, Kim was excited at the opportunity to ride like a man. She couldn't wait! However, she acted appalled at the idea Ron was suggesting, but ultimately decided to get onto the horse. She could have easily pushed herself up onto the white horse he saddled up for her. Instead, she allowed Ron to bring over a stepping stool to aid her.

"So, just swing one leg over?" Kim asked him.

"Yup!" Ron wasn't disgusted with the idea of her legs straddled over the back of the horse. Kim hesitated before sitting astride on the horse. When she was on, she grinned down at Ron. "Now, this is the gentlest horse you'll ever meet. Her name is Snowfall. I know, I know, not a creative name, but I didn't name her." Kim giggled as she grabbed the reins with one hand while patting the horse with the other.

"Hi, Snowfall," Kim murmured.

"And this here horse," Ron said as he got up onto his horse with ease. "Is Rufus. This is my horse from South Carolina. Had him for six years now. Not a purebred like the rest of 'em here, but he's great." Rufus stood tall and proud as if he understood what Ron just said. The horse was speckled with brown and white hair with a brown mane and tail. He swished it happily as Ron led him deeper into the large property. Kim easily followed since she learned how to control a horse years ago; it was the only barely adventurous thing she was allowed to do and talk about it. She never went on a trail and longed to do so, but she wasn't about to complain. Her feet were both comfortably in the stirrups and Kim realized riding astride wasn't much different than sidesaddle in her opinion. She just had to get the balancing down first. She held onto the saddle as she had the horse walk after Ron and Rufus.

Ron turned around to look at her. "Wow, Miss Kimberly, you're a natural!" he exclaimed.

"I have ridden before, just not in this way," Kim remarked.

"Well, you're doin' just fine," Ron smiled. "You want to try going a little faster?"

"Yes!" Kim said all too eagerly.

"Press your legs against her side gently. She'll start to trot," Ron instructed. Kim nodded and did as she was told, and Snowfall began to trot. Kim found herself bouncing more than she liked. She saw how Ron was riding Rufus; he rose and sat back down in the seat in a steady rhythm. Kim mimicked Ron's riding style and found that she was more in control this way. She wanted to burst out laughing she was so happy, but held it in by occasionally pressing her lips together so she didn't make a fool of herself. She followed Ron around for a while until she begged to go faster. Ron was skeptical at first, but she insisted and reminded him she had ridden horses may times before side saddling. Being reminded of this, he agreed when Kim assured him she cantered before. When Kim wanted the horse to gallop into a full run, Ron told her to get used to cantering first and that he didn't want to be responsible if she cracked her skull open when she fell off the horse.

"If I can balance standing on a tree branch, then surely I can handle sitting down on a horse as it runs," Kim said as she caught up to him as they rode side by side.

"Balance on a branch?" Ron asked with a tilt of his head and a confused look on his face.

Kim went to speak, but couldn't find her voice. What had she been thinking when she said something like that? Usually, Kim was very careful and hadn't had a slip-up yet. She had no idea why her slip-up happened when she was hanging out with the stable boy at Josh Mankey's home.

"Miss Kimberly?" Ron reached over and grabbed the reins of the horse Kim was riding, effectively slowing both horses down until they came to a stop. The horses didn't seem to mind as they grazed on the grass.

"I climb trees," Kim murmured since the damage was already done. "And sometimes I stand up on the branches."

Ron was silent for a good two minutes before he grinned. "I think that's kinda good that you aren't like the other ladies around these parts. Maybe that's why I find it so easy to talk to you."

"Well, you are one of the few people to pick up on the fact that I am not like the other women. Everyone believes my act."

"Then I guess you're a pretty good actress. If I didn't see you eating potato salad instead of napping that day, I wouldn't have known." Ron provided a goofy smile which made Kim's frown flip.

"This is why I like to see Miss Sheila Gordon. She understands me, you know? She just gets it," Kim admitted.

"I guess you two made up."

"Yes we did," Kim nodded. "What I envy about her is she is not afraid to be who she is while I am terrified to show the world who I really am."

"Well, you showed me so that's something," Ron pointed out.

"I guess I did," Kim smiled. "Call me Kim. Kimberly is such a mouthful. When we are alone, that is."

"All right, Kim," Ron agreed. "Let's head back to the stables. These guys are probably thirsty. Huh, Rufus?" Ron patted the mane of the horse which responded with a grunt. They cantered back to the stables and Kim enjoyed the slight breeze the speed created.

And then her stomach dropped.

Kim's heart was somehow in her throat.

She wanted to vomit.

Standing by the stables was her father and Joshua Mankey's father. She could tell Ron felt the same way she did because he stopped Rufus abruptly just like Kim pulled slightly on the reigns to stop Snowfall. She heard Ron murmur something and hop off of Rufus as he approached Josh's father. Kim didn't watch when Ron's ear was pulled towards deep inside the horse stables.

Kim couldn't take her eyes off of her father. The look on his face was downright horrifying as he looked at his daughter straddling a horse like a man as he held the skeleton of the hoopskirt at his side in one hand. This meant he knew she undressed inside the stable. Her father said nothing, but Kim knew she should get off of the white horse. Biting her lower lip, Kim swung her left leg over the horse and bunched up her dress before she slid off of it and expertly landing on her feet. Even though her father was enraged, Kim forced herself to drag her feet over towards him. She knew she was going to be punished. "Do not say a word," James Possible growled when Kim went to open her mouth. "We are going home without a peep from you. You will get in the carriage and say nothing to your mother. When we arrive home, you go straight up to your room and I will make sure Monique is not up there with you. After supper, I will have figured out what to do with you." Kim merely nodded and looked down at the ground as she followed her father back towards the main house with tears occasionally blurring her vision. Kim was caught and she knew things were going to be very different.

* * *

Finally got this chapter up! Poor Kim. And poor Ron. What will happen to them?

I decided to up the rating to T since it was suggested I do so for the brief nudity in a previous chapter. This way, I also have more freedom as the story progresses and Kim matures.

What do you like/dislike about Kim and Shego's relationship? How about Kim and Ron? I love hearing your thoughts in a review or PM!


	10. No Turning Back

Kim had no idea what she had been thinking; when she took her clothes of in the stables and then rode a horse like man, she didn't even consider the consequences. She should have known her father would eventually come after her since she acted so poorly at the Mankey's table. Kim just had to be smug and talk about a man dissecting a cadaver. Why did she think that would be a great response? She should have just talked about da Vinci's art, not is autopsies. She was just so mad at Josh for the way he treated her the other day that she had to go ahead and freak him out a little bit more. If it was only her and Josh, she would have said the same thing because Josh would never tell anyone what came out of her mouth. He would be too worried what other people thought because he had a genuine interest in her. Now that her parents and Josh's parents heard her and saw her, she knew her reputation just went down a few pegs.

James Possible had been furious when he saw her. At the time, Kim knew she was in much deeper trouble than missing dinner. When she got back from the Mankey's, Kim was immediately sent to her room and, like her father promised, Monique wasn't allowed to enter Kim's quarters to keep her company.

The least of Kim's problem was not seeing Monique; Kim knew word would start spreading around immediately with gossip traveling quickly. She felt as if she just ruined her reputation and her family's reputation.

She just had to be different.

Kim pressed her face into her pillow. It was more of a precaution since she didn't want anyone who could be outside her door sobbing. Hunger from missing dinner and a majority of lunch was the last thing on Kim's mind at the moment. When she felt like she wouldn't make a noise, she flipped over onto her back to let her thoughts wander away from the inevitable shunning she would receive for the rest of her life. One slip up, and that was it for her.

She'd never get married, she'd never have children, and she'd have to become an old spinster living with her parents and brothers until she died. No, she had to think of something else; Kim couldn't think of her slip-up any longer. She just needed to relax, and the whole ordeal would pass over. Of course, there was no such luck because there was a knock on the door with her mother's voice on the other side. Kim was annoyed as well as confused since Ann Possible never checked on her before. In the past, Kim had a mammy who she absolutely adored, but, unfortunately, her mammy passed away a few years ago, which was why Monique was assigned to her.

Kim sighed in the relative darkness. The sun set hours ago and Kim was forced to light a couple of candles so she wasn't in complete darkness. She wasn't ready to face the night head on with all of her thoughts swimming through her head. She wasn't afraid of the dark in slightest. The light was simply comforting her in a warm glow.

Kim ignored the knocking on her door. What was she supposed to do? Answer the door in her night clothes with her hair down and her face red and blotchy from random sobbing? Kim felt she did enough damage for the day. The last thing she needed to do was show her mother was how much of a mess she was. "Kimberly?" her mother's muffled voice came from behind the solid door. Kim rolled her tired eyes as she slowly got off of her bed and tried to make herself look presentable. She sighed heavily because it wasn't even possible at this point.

Kim dragged her feet across the floor to let her mother in. Not making eye contact, Kim went right back to her bed and sat down. Ann closed the door behind her and stood awkwardly at the foot of Kim's bed. Neither said a word to each other; Kim felt as if Ann was a stranger most of the time, the other woman not really being involved with raising her daughter other than making sure she attended the best lessons to make her out to be a lady. Kim had to stop herself from laughing at the irony.

Feeling exposed, Kim climbed underneath the covers when she noticed her mother slightly blushing. Kim never felt this exposed in front of Shego when she was climbing around in her nightgown or underclothes. It wasn't like anything important was showing, but Kim knew how the world worked as much as she disagreed with it. "Kimberly, may we talk?" Kim sat up against her pillows and nodded. Her mother was a stranger to her. She only knew her mother in formal settings, which was normal amongst her friends and their relationships with their mothers. "I want to talk about earlier today and what happened." This was the first time Kim noticed Ann held a glass of milk and bread; Kim wondered if she had to smuggle it out of the kitchen unnoticed. Ann approached the side of Kim's bed and put the bread and glass on the nightstand. She uncomfortably sat on the edge of Kim's bed.

"I apologize for my behavior today," Kim couldn't help but sniff. "It was terribly uncalled for, and I most certainly did not act like a proper lady. I deserve whatever punishments you and father have in store for me, which includes going to bed without dinner," Kim stated as she eyed the milk and bread. She didn't have much of an appetite, but the fact that her mother brought in her room baffled her.

"You should eat something. Starving you will do nothing to help the situation," Ann told her daughter. She picked up the bread and held it out to Kim. The girl took it politely and took a bite, finally feeling the hunger hitting her. She chewed slowly with her mouth closed. Her mother waited a moment before speaking again. "Kimberly, I want you to know I do not approve of what you did today. You not only embarrassed yourself, but you embarrassed the entire family name."

"I know I did," Kim bit into the bread to keep herself from letting her temper get the best of her. She was lucky her mother felt the need to come in and check on her.

"I wish to understand what caused you to act out the way you did."

"There isn't much to say," Kim shrugged. "I am not blaming Master Joshua for my actions today; however, I was already angry with him from the barbeque. He told me he did not want to marry me," Kim replied, leaving it at that. "As for riding the horse, I have no explanation." Kim wasn't about to tell her mother about Shego and how she opened up her eyes to how the world worked and how their society was flawed. She knew Ann would never understand.

"Kimberly, I would like it if you were more open with me," Ann admitted. Kim remained silent. What was she supposed to respond with considering Ann never approached her in this particular way before? The formal figure she was used to wasn't present. Kim bit the inside of her cheek; the last thing she needed was to be even more confused. "I understand we aren't particularly close," she said slowly. "But I want to understand."

"There is nothing to understand. I acted like a fool, and therefore, I am punished," Kim said as she put the bread down. She drank about half of the milk slowly because she didn't need to humiliate herself further. When Kim put the glass down, she jumped when Ann grabbed her wrist, holding her palm up to see the rough calluses that formed from all of the tree climbing. Ann's hands were the opposite. Her hands were silky smooth, which showed that she never worked a day in her life. She rubbed her thumb over Kim's rough hands and frowned.

"How is this possible?" Ann asked. "We never put you to work. Your hands feel worse than a man's."

"I don't know," Kim harshly stated and pulled her hand away from her mother's grip.

"Kimberly, I need you to be honest with me." Kim flinched when Ann put a hand on her leg. "Have you been speaking to that Miss Sheila Gordon girl?" Kim's stomach dropped, and she wished she hadn't eaten or drank half a glass of milk in that small amount of time. Her jaw dropped, not knowing how to respond. How could her mother even know this could be a possibility?

"Who?" Kim replied meekly when her mother gave her a look that demanded a response.

"I think you know who," Ann's jaw clenched, Kim's reaction being enough to tell her that she had been associating with a young woman who had one of the poorest reputations around. "There are rumors, Kimberly, and I didn't want to believe them."

"Why would you believe such rumors?" Kim queried.

"Someone saw you associating with her," Ann chimed.

"I believe I spoke to her once at the barbeque," Kim tried to convince her mother. "I was only being polite when she was introduced to me. That was all."

"I am so glad you brought that up. I heard she and you undressed yourselves into nothing but your undergarments and proceeded to climb up a tree without any issues." Ann looked down at her own hands, unable to look at her daughter as she explained the rumor, which was actually very true. Kim nervously bit her lower lip to stop herself from confessing the truth. Ann would never understand where Kim was coming from. The silence was stretched out far too long, and Kim knew she should say something to fill the silence.

"Mother, I can assure you this isn't true," she took a deep breath. "I promise you." It shouldn't have hurt to lie to her mother. She was almost glad it did since it proved her morals were still intact. At least the goodness in Kim hadn't changed when it seemed like everything else did.

"In my heart, I really hope so," Ann sighed. "If this is true, it will not only affect you, but me, your father, your brothers…"

"I don't understand," Kim mumbled to herself, but her mother overheard her, and Kim wanted to just disappear into the floorboards at that point because she was still saying things that were obvious mistakes.

"You don't understand what, Kimberly?"

"Why any of this matters to anyone." Words tumbled out of her mouth without her consent. Kim got out of bed and went to her window. She wasn't able to see anything, but she could see her reflection against the darkness. Her face was slightly puffy from her tears, her eyes slightly red, but her olive eyes looked with determination. She ran a hand through her hair to take out a few tangles until she was satisfied with how it looked. Ann remained silent. Kim felt her mother's blue eyes staring at the back of her head. "Why do people care so much about what other people do?" Kim queried, not expecting an answer. "Mother, have you ever felt that you were just a cookie cutter of the model wife? Can you even name a unique quality that makes you different from other wives and mothers?"

"Kimberly, I think you need to take some time. Perhaps you haven't been feeling well."

"The thing is, I feel better than I have ever felt before. I know I am a little different, but being a little different makes me undesirable both as a wife and a daughter," Kim explained. "Why does this have to be so difficult? Why do people care so much as to what I do or don't do?"

"This is the way things are," Ann stood up behind her daughter. Although her mother was a little above average height, Kim was more on the petite side. Part of her wanted her mother to give her a hug, sit her down, and say everything was going to be fine. The other part of her was annoyed that her mother was one of those women who strived to be perfect based on society's wishes. "You have a few years left to make up for your mistakes. You are lucky you did this at fourteen and not sixteen."

This woman was her mother, but this woman was just as bland as the rest of them. "I think I will go to bed for the night."

"Yes, it is getting late," Ann stepped away from her. Kim blankly stared out the window at nothing, ignoring her reflection. "Good night, Kimberly. Say your prayers." Ann shut the door behind her without another word.

Kim's eyes shot wide open; she couldn't remember the last time she said her prayers. She used to do it every single night, but once she started anticipating meeting up with Shego at night, she stopped and she wasn't sure why. Kim rushed to the side of her bed and knelt at the side. She propped her elbows up onto the bed and put her hands together, bowing her head slightly. She said her prayers perfectly, reciting them as she learned them from when she was a small child.

"I am sorry, and I beg for your forgiveness for not praying to you for a while. Life has just…it's gotten very confusing. I wish I could understand why all of this is happening to me and why I'm different. Is there a reason why you made me different? Am I destined to be alone and rejected?" Kim squeezed her eyes shut and hoped for an answer. She waited and waited until her knees hurt from kneeling. "I just need an answer, a sign," Kim whispered. "A sign that I didn't ruin my life."

When no signs came, Kim stood up slowly. Her legs ached. She blew the candles out so she was in complete darkness. Looking towards the window, Kim no longer saw the reflection of flames flickering. She crawled under the covers and silently waited until she could fall asleep. She had a feeling sleep wasn't going to come easy. Her breathing was shallow, shaky. She closed her eyes to try and get her emotions in check since she didn't want to look like a little girl in the morning when her father would inevitably come to check on her.

Kim rubbed her tired eyes and hoped for a miracle. She had to have faith that everything was going to work itself out. It would be difficult, however, since the gossip about her was very true, and she wasn't sure how long she could hide her shame. Different scenarios ran through her head, all negative, making Kim's tears slide down her cheeks and onto her pillow. In every scenario she was hated, ostracized, and banned from society. She'd never marry, and her mother would look at her with worried and hateful eyes. The uncertainty made her nervous, her eyes closed to try to sleep and stop the tears. She clutched the sheets on her bed to stop from shaking. She was finally falling asleep, exhaustion taking its toll on her. She knew she'd wake up multiple times from nightmares. She could pretend all she wanted, but she really cared deeply about what was to come.

As she slipped into sleep, Kim heard Shego's voice whispering in her ear from the beginnings of a dream, "The worst they can do is disown you. It's not like you had a chance to inherit any of this even if you were perfect in their eyes."

Instead of nightmares, Kim's dreams were full of adventures with Shego, and she didn't wake up until the next morning when the sun was already in the sky.

* * *

No, this story is not dead. It lives! I'm just horrible at updating. I really take your reviews into consideration! Your reviews are so thought out and descriptive. I love them! I find they really help me improve :)

I was originally going to make Ann more understanding, but when I was researching, I found that parents were more like strangers to obey for children rather than the warm, loving relationship Kim originally had with her mother on the show. This is why Ann may seem a little out of character here and probably James.


	11. Done with all of This

Kim was done crying. She had been crying in her room for a week straight when her father didn't allow her to leave the house, so it left Kim in her room to wallow in self-pity. She recently made the decision not to let other people have the satisfaction of bringing her down. She was going to be stronger. The week of solitude gave her time to really think about who she was and what she wanted out of life. She didn't want anything she originally thought she wanted. Marriage wasn't a priority any longer. Kim felt she needed to do something with her life other than be a wife and mother; she wanted to be someone and she couldn't wait to show the world who Kimberly Ann Possible really was. Her confidence began to diminish as she was told to head down the stairs by Monique. Monique had been very quiet with her, making Kim uncomfortable because she thought they were friends. If Monique was judging her, then perhaps the day would be left with nothing but ridicule.

As she descended the stairs to greet their guests with her parents, Kim recalled the Rockwaller's being invited, which meant Bonnie would most definitely be at this social event; she never missed anything where she could pick up some gossip. Kim never really cared for Bonnie's incessant gossiping and she tended to ignore it. Unfortunately, Kim realized she'd probably be the target and she wasn't prepared for it.

Kim looked up at Monique who stood at the top of the stairs while Kim was now at the bottom. Olive eyes met brown eyes, and Kim nervously pressed her lips together. She needed some assurance from Monique—that everything would be fine—but it wasn't going to happen. Monique broke eye contact first and adjusted the basket of laundry on her hip before she walked away. Kim knew the day was going to be horrible, and she could only hope it wouldn't be as bad as she anticipated.

Kim smoothed out her blue skirts as she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself. She met with her parents and stood with them. She was going to ask where her brothers were, but she figured they were already out back and in charge of greeting guests as they made their way to the buffet of food that was provided. The Possible's didn't throw such sophisticated barbeques like the Mankey's, but they always had an afternoon of good food and fun for a couple of hours.

Kim's parents only nodded when she stood beside them. The carriages began to arrive. Kim felt hyper-alert when the first family stepped out of their carriage. It was Tara's family, and the girl smiled warmly at Kim, which meant word hadn't spread to her. Kim's nerves calmed after another family arrived without any sign that they knew what Kim had done at Josh Mankey's estate. Kim looked up at her mother, and Ann smiled at her daughter, silently telling her everything would be fine.

That was until the Rockwaller's carriage arrived next. Bonnie's parents were greeted by Kim's parents while Kim had to welcome Bonnie and her sisters. "Well, hello, Miss Kimberly. This is such a nice day, is it not?"

"It is nice not to have the sun blaring down on us for once," Kim replied, remarking on the fact that it was overcast. It felt like it would rain, but Kim didn't dare correct her father on the weather when he claimed it was the perfect day to have company over. It was much easier to agree with him and just go along with it.

"Yes," Bonnie agreed. "Perhaps we won't have to undress to cool off, will we?" Kim's smile fell immediately. "See you soon, Miss Kimberly," Bonnie chuckled as she caught up with her parents and sisters. How on Earth did Bonnie know? How did word even spread to her? Kim felt a shiver go up her spine; there was no way Bonnie wasn't telling Tara and the others. She was going to be ruined.

A blur of people arrived, Kim faking happiness until the Gordon carriage was pulling up. Kim's mother put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "If Miss Gordon is in there, I find it in your best interest not to associate with her today." Kim nodded even though the idea that the only person who wouldn't judge her for her actions had to be ignored. It was for the best, Kim decided, because then maybe nobody would believe Bonnie. Perhaps she wouldn't have had the influence to take her clothes off at the Mankey's estate twice because she had a feeling Bonnie knew about both incidences.

Despite not being able to spend time with Shego all day, she hoped she'd step out of the carriage after her oldest brother. Her heart beat wildly in anticipation when she watched Henry hold his hand out and slim fingers accepted his escort. Shego stepped out of the carriage as any woman of class should. When they approached Kim and her parents, Henry apologized to Kim's parents how the rest of the family was unable to make it. Shego stood in front of Kim as her brother schmoozed with James.

"Where have you been?" Shego whispered as the two faked being perfect, idealized women.

"Long story, but I was not allowed to leave the house," Kim replied.

"Sneak away with me after lunch," Shego ordered, but Kim shook her head rather than get excited about the prospect.

"I cannot."

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Shego said as her brother took her arm to escort her around back. James accompanied them since he thought Henry to be the perfect gentleman. Leave it to Shego's family to be the last to arrive.

"Kimberly," Ann said and took her daughter's arm as she slowed their pace to make sure they were out of James' earshot. "If you know what is best for you and this family, you will not be seen with Miss Sheila Gordon today."

"I understand."

"If you are not seen with her, then perhaps these rumors will go away," Ann explained.

"You know these aren't rumors," Kim replied and kept her gaze towards the blades of green grass.

"They don't need to know that," Ann replied curtly. Kim simply nodded and agreed with her mother so her home life wouldn't continue to be miserable. The week she was under lockdown was painful, and the little freedom she had was stripped away. "Kimberly, listen to me," Ann stopped and turned Kim towards her by taking her shoulders. "Look at me." Kim obliged. "You are forbidden to speak to her again today, do you hear me? Her reputation will destroy you."

"Then why does everyone invite her to their parties?" Kim countered.

"Because her brothers are well respected. She did not attend these functions until recently. Please stay away from her." Her mother was actually holding back tears, her blue eyes blinking rapidly to hold them back.

"Yes, mother," Kim sighed. She didn't need to see her mother cry.

When Kim reached the back of her oversized house, she noticed the group of teenaged girls she usually would sit with and, ironically, gossip. She also saw Shego not amongst them, but at her brother's side. Kim knew the raven haired beauty would find a way to sneak off after lunch, and Kim desperately wished she could go with her. She longed to go over to Shego, take her hand, and run off towards the abandoned peach trees her parents never cared for. Her wants were not what she could have, and Kim's legs carried her to the familiar benches where her "friends" sat.

As Kim approached them, she heard Tara shush everyone to be silent. Bonnie smirked at her, and Kim knew the deed had been done. What did her parents think would happen? Why didn't they just cancel the neighborhood get together until the whole ordeal blew over? Why couldn't she have just stayed in her room to avoid this very scenario? Heart racing, Kim sat down anyway and nervously rung her hands in her skirts.

The silence was more troubling than the whispers. Kim was faced towards the ground, but she could feel all eyes on her, imagining the smirks from the other girls. If she looked up, she'd see that she was correct in her assumptions. "Miss Kimberly, how are you today?" Bonnie asked in a sickly sweet voice that didn't usually belong to her. "Your friend, Miss Sheila, is over there. Care for her to join us? Well?"

"No," Kim shook her head. "She isn't my friend."

"Oh my," Bonnie faked shock. "I could have sworn I saw you two being intimate at the last barbeque."

"Intimate?" Kim finally looked up at Bonnie in confusion.

"Why, yes. That is why you undressed together, is it not?" Bonnie continued. The other girls were giggling except for Tara, who was too timid to stick up for Kim and would rather be an onlooker. She didn't blame her since Bonnie could be very cruel. She didn't want Tara to be ridiculed on her behalf.

"I am confused," Kim tried.

"Stop playing games," Bonnie snapped. "I saw you with my own two eyes! Why are you pretending like it never happened?" Apparently, Bonnie couldn't keep the act up for long, but the other girls didn't seem to care as they looked at Kim in shock, as if they weren't really believing Bonnie until her outburst. "You took your clothes off with her, and I bet it wasn't the first time, was it not? You climbed a tree! And then you had to take your skirts off and straddle a horse in front of that poor stable boy and get him fired."

One of the girls, Hope, grabbed Kim's wrists roughly and turned her hands over. "Look at her hands!" she said quietly. "It's true! It's true!"

This was when it went silent again, the girls looking at one another in confusion. Kimberly Ann Possible, model daughter, was actually disgraceful! The girls didn't want to cause a scene since they had their own reputations to uphold, but it didn't stop them from gasping in shock occasionally when they felt Kim's hands. Despite everything going on around her, she couldn't stop thinking that she got Ron Stoppable fired from his job, something he was good at. He seemed to be knowledgeable about horses and working for someone like the Mankey's was probably a dream come true. He was sending money back to his family. What was his family going to do now?

Kim ruined Ron and she hated herself for it.

It didn't matter what she did anymore. Kim knew she didn't belong in this small town of people who couldn't see past their noses. She knew she had to get out before she ruined someone else she cared for. Leaving was the only way she felt she could redeem herself; Kim had to do something with her life, and she wasn't going to do anything by staying here.

Kim stood up, disregarding Bonnie and the others around her. She didn't want to be around them anymore. Deciding to be done with Bonnie and the rest felt liberating. She eyed Shego, but knew it wasn't the time to be seen with her. She'd see her after lunch when she could sneak out when she was supposed to be napping. Bonnie may follow her again, but that didn't matter to her. What did matter was being able to see Shego and beg to run away with her.

Running away from her problems probably wasn't the answer; however, Kim felt she needed to run away if she wanted to become someone. Kim stood beside her mother and decided to spend the party with her because if she did run away, she wouldn't see her again for a long time.

Ann was obviously pleased with her daughter and how she acted with the other adults. Perfect little Kimberly Ann Possible was someone everyone loved, adored, and wanted. Even Bonnie's mother had a tendency to whisper to Ann that she wished her Bonnie would be more like Kimberly in the fact that she was complacent and did what she was told. "Bonnie is desperately trying to be a leader with those girls," Mrs. Rockwaller complained to Kim and Ann. "She should not be trying to lead them around when they are all equals. I have spoken with her time and time again. She will ruin herself when she becomes too bossy. No man wants a bossy wife to push him around."

"Perhaps being a leader is what makes Miss Bonnie unique," Kim replied sweetly. She had no idea why she was defending Bonnie when she should be silently celebrating in her head that she was better than her. Was Kim really better when she herself was different, too? Maybe Kim should be celebrating Bonnie's unique bossiness instead of thinking of her as something less.

"Miss Kimberly, you truly have a gift to see the goodness in everyone. I knew the moment I heard of those rumors that they weren't true in the slightest. Someone must be very jealous of you," Mrs. Rockwaller explained. "Ann, I truly am sorry that these preposterous rumors of your daughter started up. I have been telling people they are naïve to believe such ridiculous lies."

"Why, thank you," Ann smiled genuinely. "When we first heard of them, Kimberly was just so upset. We are thankful to have friends such as yourself to set the record straight."

"It is no trouble at all," Mrs. Rockwaller replied and smiled at Kim. The redhead smiled back weakly because she felt somewhat guilty that the rumors were very much true, and she was receiving unnecessary sympathy from the adults. Mrs. Rockwaller had a great reputation among their communities, so Kim had a feeling she'd persuade everyone not to believe the rumors. This was somewhat of a relief in case Kim decided she wanted to stay and live in her small town.

"Thank you," Kim answered.

When it came time to eat, Kim wished she could eat as much as she wanted without a care in the world. She'd have a little bit of everything. The abundance of food was always so tempting, especially the Italian bread one of the neighbors brought to every gathering. She longed to slather butter all over the bread, devouring it until she couldn't eat another bite. Instead, she added just a small piece to her plate with a dab of butter to get the taste, but never having enough to satisfy her craving.

Kim's breath hitched when she noticed Shego was standing right in front of her on the other side of the table. The older girl smirked as she took three of the largest slices of the Italian bread and put it on her plate after she buttered them generously. Kim glared at her and noted Shego's corset must not have been as tight as it normally was. She must have loosened it slightly for the occasion to eat more than a normal lady should. She watched Henry try to grab a slice of bread off of her plate, wanting to keep up appearances, but Shego didn't allow him to and smacked his arm. She didn't need to look to know everyone was staring at the girl with too much chicken, too much sweet potatoes, and too much salad on her plate. Jealous, Kim sneaked another small slice of bread on her plate before she made her way to the table where her mother sat.

Lunch was dull. There was no other way to describe it. Kim had to pretend to be interested when everyone around her was so boring. If she had more food, she could have at least kept herself busy with enjoying it. She looked over at Shego who was working on her last slice of bread; the people at her table were giving her strange looks, and Kim admired how Shego simply didn't care.

"Disgraceful," Bonnie whispered in Kim's ear. "But that is what you are attracted to, is it not?"

"Stop, Bonnie," Kim whispered as she averted her gaze. She looked Bonnie in the eyes and said, "I am not associating myself with Miss Sheila, so please listen to your own mother and realize the rumors for what they are."

"My mother may not see right through you, but I do, Miss Kimberly," Bonnie promised.

Kim was going to respond, but the men declared lunch was over, and they were going to go into her father's study for drinks and cigars as they always did. The women, meanwhile, were expected to go lay down for a nap. Bonnie still expected to get a response, but received none when Kim stood up from her chair and went to her own bedroom. When she got there, she noticed many cots set up to accommodate for the other young women around Kim's age. The other girls weren't far behind her, chattering amongst themselves and excited to finally be away from the adults. Here, the girls had the opportunity to talk without much care, and did not need to be mindful of their elders. Here, the girls could freely tell which boys they liked before climbing into bed.

For the first time, Kim didn't participate in the chatter. She was silent, which seemed to further convince Bonnie these weren't lies. When Bonnie mentioned this, the other girls began to ask why Kim was so quiet. She simply shrugged after Monique finished helping her into her underclothes. Tara whispered to the others that Kim may just be upset about the lies being spread about her, and as her friends, they could have been more supportive rather than just believing them. Kim smiled to herself; leave it to Tara to try and see the good in people.

As Kim crawled into bed, she wondered why Shego wasn't sharing the room with the teens. She was going to ask Monique where she was, but the darker skinned girl had already left. Kim recalled she said she'd meet up with Shego after lunch, so she waited until everyone went to sleep. Although she knew she should stay in bed and sleep, Kim had this indescribable itch to get out of bed and go find Shego.

Kim slipped out of bed and put on a robe against her better judgment. The risk of getting caught was thrilling! She crept out of the room, through the halls, and passed her father's study. Kim made it outside without being seen. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Kim ran when her feet touched the dirt and the sharp blades of grass. She easily spotted Shego sitting under a tree in the distance, carelessly pulling each blade of grass one by one. She looked up when she saw Kim and stood. Shego didn't care to put a robe on.

"What am I doing?" Kim laughed, but out of the ridiculousness of the situation. There wasn't anything funny about this. "I shouldn't be out here! I should be in there!"

"Sneaking out was fun, though, wasn't it?" Shego asked.

"I want to be here," Kim said as she paced back and forth. "I wanted to see you and talk to you. But my mother suspects me, and thinks the rumors about me are true."

"Stop pacing," Shego demanded. Kim obeyed. "What rumors?"

"They don't exist because it's really all true. People know what happened to me."

"At the Mankey's?"

"How do you know that?" Kim asked quickly.

"Please," Shego scoffed. "Everyone knows. The difference is they care, and I don't."

"I got the stable boy fired!" Kim cried.

"And nobody cares about that," Shego replied curtly. "These people only care about themselves. That boy was obviously not in a high social class. Look, people know whatever happened is true, but they don't want to believe it because they don't want to see Miss Kimberly Ann Possible go off of the deep end because she's perfect."

"I am not!" Kim stomped her foot as if she was a child. She crossed her arms and glared at Shego who only rolled her eyes. "I am far from perfect! Just look at me!" Kim gestured to herself in her robe and her bare feet that were covered in dirt. She held her hands out for Shego to see how rough they had become and how unladylike they were.

"Listen, Pumpkin," Shego snarled and slapped Kim's hands away from in front of her face. "What do you want? Hmm? You want to be like the rest of them and only good for poppin' out as many boys as you can? You want to have nothing? You want to be nothing?"

"No," Kim sniffed. Her voice seemed quieter to her compared to Shego's raising volume with every question she asked. "I want more than this, but I can't have more unless I run away and hope my parents don't follow me!" Kim let her voice get louder to match Shego's.

"You don't have the guts to leave," Shego hissed. "You'll be stuck here forever, which is a shame because you are capable of so much more than this!"

"I may hate this life. I may hate myself for never leaving it. I am just not as brave as you, Shego. I won't survive on my own. I don't even know where to go, and I don't have money, and…" she trailed. Through her unshed tears, Kim looked up at the older girl for a moment and studied how strong she was in order to put up with the ridicule from everyone else. Kim felt she was weaker and more vulnerable to the world around her. She threw her arms around Shego and just stood there. She waited for Shego to push her away, but in this rare instance, she did not. Instead, she hesitantly put one arm around the petite fourteen year old and let out an annoyed sigh.

"I knew it!" Bonnie Rockwaller exclaimed as she approached Kim and Shego with Jessica and Hope. The three girls were in their robes and probably put something else over their underclothes to remain more modest. Kim's eyes went wide as she pushed away from Shego.

"Fantastic," Shego stated sarcastically. Kim took many steps away from the sixteen year old who stood with her arms crossed.

"You tried to have us fooled, Miss Kimberly," Bonnie glared. "Except me. I knew I saw you with Miss Sheila, and now I have caught you again with witnesses. You're ruined, Kimberly Ann Possible! Ruined!" Bonnie yelled.

"Maybe we should go get her father," Hope suggested.

"Yes," Bonnie smirked. "Maybe we should." The girls ran off pathetically slow, which made it easier for Shego to catch up with them. Kim ran after her, but wasn't fast enough to stop her from pushing Jessica, Hope, and finally Bonnie down to the ground. Kim yelled after Shego to stop when she saw her pinning Bonnie to the ground. Shego had a tight grip, and Kim had a feeling she was going to leave bruises.

"Shego!" Kim panted when she got to the scene in front of her. Bonnie looked up at the emerald eyed girl fearfully because she probably never realized how strong this girl actually was. It was easy enough to point fingers and accusations, but when it came down to it, Shego's brute force outdid Bonnie's little comments that never affected her anyway. "Let her go!"

"Why would I let my catch of the day escape?" Shego gave Bonnie an unfriendly smile. Kim had no idea what that was in reference to, but she assumed someone made up something morbid about Shego, and she had no doubt about it that Bonnie would pass that information along. Kim felt out of the loop for a while, and this was probably why. Bonnie would gossip uncontrollably when Kim wasn't present, so anything could have been said when she wasn't there.

"Let her go!" Jessica's voice shook, making her demand seem weak. She didn't dare leave her spot from the ground. Hope looked like she was near tears.

"I will get a cauldron of boiling water going while I chop you up into little bits. First your legs so you can't run, then your arms so you can't scratch," Shego whispered just loud enough for Kim to hear. "And then goes your head."

"P-p-please," Bonnie stuttered. Kim didn't even think Bonnie was capable of looking so frightened. She had acted scared in the past, but it was obvious she wasn't faking it this time.

"Now you are starting to believe your own lies about me, aren't you?" Shego cackled, throwing her head back in glee. Kim didn't even notice Hope slipped away to get help, one of the men being Shego's oldest brother and the other was Kim's own father. Henry yelled at his sister and got behind her. He grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her up. She squirmed, digging her nails into Bonnie's flesh. The brunette cried out in pain and fear.

"Get off of me you demon!" Bonnie yelled, resulting in Shego spitting in her face and finally releasing her grip. Shego elbowed her brother in the stomach hard enough so his grip loosened, and she was able to slip out.

"Screw all of you!" Shego yelled. "She had it coming!" Shego grabbed Kim's wrist. Kim didn't hesitate to start sprinting away with her. James yelled at his daughter to come back to him this instant, demanding her to face the consequences. Kim laughed with Shego as they ran away; they were too fast for the rest of them.

Throughout the whole incident, Kim couldn't help but feel excited about how Shego stood up to Bonnie just like that. It wasn't like Shego beat her up or anything, but she did give her a taste of her own medicine when she messed with the wrong person. Watching Shego's fluid movements as she escaped her brother who had to be twice the size of her. She must have been strong if elbowing her brother in the stomach was enough for her to get away. "You must teach me how you managed to do that," Kim panted when Shego finally stopped running. Shego's breathing was deeper than usual, but Kim wouldn't classify it as panting; she wanted to have the stamina Shego possessed.

"Funny, I thought I would have offended you," Shego said evenly.

"We absolutely must run away from here," Kim smiled cheekily. "Right now," Kim said and grabbed Shego's hands in her own. "Right this second." The smooth tops of Shego's hands would have fooled anyone. They were so smooth and her nails were somehow well manicured. Kim knew the bottom of her hands were rougher than her own, and she admired that. Sheila Gordon was a strong, independent individual. Kim longed to continue to learn from her. She needed to learn how to stick up for herself. Considering how easily she escaped from Henry, Kim knew Shego knew how to fight. The rush she got from simply watching Shego take down Bonnie was thrilling; she couldn't imagine the rush she'd get by taking someone on herself.

"You seriously want to run away with me?" Shego arched a brow.

"Yes! I'm sick of it here. My father already has it in for me, anyway, so why not leave?" Kim queried.

"You don't care about leaving your home, your parents, your whole life?"

"No," Kim shook her head. "Besides, if I stay, I do not think I will carry the same reputation I once held. I'm finished here." It didn't matter to her anymore. Monique didn't really care for her all that much lately, and she never got along with her brothers. The tension she had with her parents was going to be strong after today. Nobody would want to marry someone who was associated with a renegade, and simply allowed said renegade to hurt another girl who had a strong, positive reputation.

"If you're serious, meet me by the peach trees in a week with a bag packed. I'll think of a plan to get us out of here for good."

"You mean it?"

"Tell you what, if I don't mean it then I won't be by the trees in a week."

"Fair enough," Kim shrugged, but she knew Shego would be there to escape their small society together.

There had been a time when Kim desperately wanted to kiss Josh Mankey. Now, Kim desperately wanted to kiss Shego, and she had no idea what that meant.

* * *

Hope you don't mind a really long chapter! Again, thank you to everyone who continues to read, review, follow, favorite, send PMs, etc. I love the feedback I'm getting. Keep it up!


	12. Don't Turn Back

Kim looked around her room to see if she forgot to pack anything essential. She had found plain dresses that didn't need hoopskirts towards the back of her closet. She bought them for Monique so she'd have nicer dresses to wear than the ones her parents provided. She was going to give these to her dearest friend for the holidays, but Kim wouldn't be home then. She was leaving with Shego tonight. Besides, Monique hadn't been friendly with her for a while now, and Kim felt their friendship was deteriorating. The teen didn't understand what she had done to make Monique suddenly dislike her. Was it her need for adventure? Was she jealous of Shego? Did she simply not approve of Kim's actions as of late? If that were true, Kim felt Monique would have stopped speaking to her on friendly terms long ago when she discovered Kim went outside at night to run around and climb trees in nothing but her night clothes.

It was too confusing for Kim to figure out. Oh well, if Monique was going to give her the cold shoulder, then Kim didn't really feel bad about leaving in the middle of the night. She had written a note for Monique despite all of this; Kim felt it was only fair, and the other girl did mean a lot to her even if Monique didn't care much for Kim anymore.

Kim's new life was going to begin, and she couldn't wait! She clipped the bag closed and shoved it under her bed just in case someone was to walk in. Her mother had been checking on her every night over this past week. Kim hated how her mother would walk in unannounced, not say a word, and blow the candles out, which left Kim in a dark room. On cue, Ann Possible's footsteps could be heard down the hallway. Kim dove onto her bed and underneath the covers. She had to stop herself from giggling when her mother opened the door.

Ann held a candle in her hand to light the way as she walked around the house. She carefully blew out the one candle Kim had lit earlier in the evening. "Mother," Kim said to her own surprise before Ann left the room.

"Yes?" Ann's lips were pursed.

"I am sorry that I caused this family trouble," Kim sighed. She really was sorry about how her actions led to her family being borderline shamed. Kim knew her mother wasn't being invited to social events lately. "I just don't fit into the mold I was told I needed to fit into. I promise you, mother, that I will no longer cause this family any trouble."

Silence.

Kim pulled at her sheets nervously, bunching them into her hand.

Ann locked eyes with her daughter. Kim realized her mother was trying to get her to say more and admit she was wrong. Kim wasn't about to do that.

"I am sorry about the trouble I caused this family, but I am not sorry about what I did," Kim reiterated.

"I asked you to stay away from Miss Sheila Gordon, but you simply could not stay away from her, could you?" The disappointment in her tone was evident. Kim didn't feel sorry for her, though. She pitied her mother for choosing to crave the socialite lifestyle where everyone was fake and petty.

"Miss Sheila Gordon is my friend," Kim snapped. "And she is much more interesting than the people we usually associate with!"

"Kimberly, you will not be friends with someone so…so…" Ann was so angry that she couldn't form the rest of her sentence.

"Why do you believe the lies people spread about her? What if none of it is true? What then?" Kim queried. She sat up in bed, exposing the fact that she was fully clothed and hadn't changed into her night clothes. Ann seemed to ignore this for the moment because she was probably more concerned with Kim siding with the town black sheep.

"All of it is true," Ann stated in a calmer tone. She sat down on Kim's bed and let out a deep sigh. "She has slept around, she runs around with bare feet, she has no suitors willing to marry her, she is an alleged witch," Ann stated the last accusation slowly, as if she didn't want to tell Kim. The younger girl's eyes went wide; she had no idea Shego was accused of witchcraft! The idea of Shego standing over a cauldron mixing blood and chicken bones made Kim burst out laughing. Kim laughed so hard that her stomach started to hurt, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach to attempt to soothe it. She took in ragged breaths as she continued to laugh in hysterics. Kim felt tears falling down her cheeks. She laughed so hard that she cried! "I have heard her hands glow green." This only made Kim laugh harder at the absurd accusations. Hands that glow green? Why would her mother even believe such a strange, unbelievable accusation?

"Mother," Kim said when she was able to stop her laughter. "I see Miss Sheila more than you think, and not once have I seen her hands glow. I do believe no man here wants to marry her, but that's because she's different. People around here enjoy living boring lives without any notable achievements."

"Kimberly, I strongly advise you to stop whatever nonsense this is and be the person you know you should be," Ann said and took Kim's hands in her own.

Kim gently squeezed her mother's hands and replied, "I will never be the person I should be, but I will promise I will be the person I want to be. Did not you ever want to be something more than a mother and wife?"

Ann stood abruptly and went to leave the room. "We are women and there is nothing more to be," Ann stated as she left, shutting the door behind her.

Kim simply rolled her eyes. She knew her mother was wrong. There were opportunities out there that Kim couldn't wait to find. She wasn't sure what she wanted to be, but she knew she didn't want to be her mother. If she were to live her mother's life, then she'd be miserable until the day she died.

As she waited for the right time to leave, Kim wondered where she would be tomorrow. She really didn't know where she would be going with Shego, but anything was better than the middle of nowhere. Kim hoped they'd just take a train right up to the city where Shego had once lived. New York City seemed so promising with more opportunities and things available to women. Perhaps she'd go out west. Her younger cousin, Joss, and her uncle, Slim, travelled out west years ago. Kim never heard from them again. Maybe they'd meet up again when Kim travelled out there. Maybe she'd just travel around with Shego and not really have a home in one place. Perhaps she'd travel around the world and learn about different people and different cultures that were more exciting than this middle of nowhere town.

When it was time, Kim slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and hoped the rest of her family was asleep. As per usual, Kim didn't hear any footsteps, so she quickly went down the stairs. She slipped a note she wrote earlier in the day underneath Monique's door to her room. Unlike the majority of the slaves, Monique had her own room in the main house. Kim had faith that one day when she made something of herself, she'd buy Monique off of her parents, and the two could live together just like best friends should.

Kim's next stop was the library where Wade usually was late at night. Kim slowly entered the library so as not to startle him, but it was Kim who was startled when she saw her brothers reading books with Wade. The twins gasped; Tim whispered harshly for Kim to shut the door and she did. "What are you two doing here?" Kim asked in a low voice.

"What do you think?" Jim rolled his eyes.

"We're reading," Tim answered.

"With Wade?" Kim was confused.

"Yes, with Wade," the twins answered in unison. To Kim, the fact that they both would say the same thing at the same time spontaneously would always be unnerving.

"Just do not tell our parents," Jim pleaded.

"She knows I have been here," Wade answered for her. "Your sister has been nice to me and allowed me to come in here before you two found me in here."

"Why didn't you tell us?" the boys asked.

"Miss Kimberly…I mean Kim," Wade said getting a nod of approval from her, "has been in a lot of trouble lately."

"Yes she has," Tim grinned.

"More than us!" Jim's smile was wide.

"Which is why I am leaving tonight," Kim gestured to the bag in her arms. "I don't know where I am going, but what I do know is I can no longer live here."

"You can't just leave!" Tim exclaimed.

"It's something I have to do. I want to leave because there's nothing here for me anymore."

"You'll write, won't you?" Jim asked.

"She won't be gone enough to write," Tim folded his arms across his chest. Kim was speechless; she never saw her brothers as anything but one unit, yet seeing their distinct reactions to this situation, Kim was shocked. She didn't expect Jim to be close to tears and Tim to be angry with her. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. In fact, she wasn't supposed to even run into her brothers. She only wanted to inform Wade, which almost made Kim feel slightly guilty she was going to leave her little brothers without saying goodbye.

"I will be back someday," Kim promised. Her brothers didn't rush to hug her or wish her safe travels. Her answer was obviously not good enough for them because they were smart children and they saw right through her lie. Kim had no intentions of coming back any time soon. She doubted she'd ever come back. The boys suddenly bolted out of the room, sprinting as fast as they could up the stairs.

"Thanks for everything," Wade gave her a small smile. "If you ever need anything, well…"

"I will come back for you, or I will write for you to come stay with me. I believe our main goal is New York," Kim explained. "Once we are established, I will find you." And Kim meant it. Wade had no opportunities down south, but if Kim could grant him his freedom, Wade could take some of the opportunities given to him up north. He was just so smart; Kim didn't want to see him wasting his talents just like Kim felt she would be doing if she remained there.

"I better get out of here," Wade said. "You probably should, too, if you want to leave." Kim nodded. Wade didn't ask who she was going with, what she thought she was doing, and he wasn't angry or upset with her. She began to wonder if she even formed a friendship with the boy. He left with an extra quick step when footsteps were heard going down the stairs. Kim followed Wade and ushered him out of the house before her angry father could catch him in his home. _His home_. This was only ever his and never hers. Kim didn't have a home.

Kim stood by the front door and was thankful she couldn't see Wade anymore. The last thing she needed was her father to find out he was reading his books in his house. Kim rushed passed the stairs as her father was about to reach the bottom. She ran as fast as she could out the back door.

James Possible angrily shouted after her in just his night clothes. Kim didn't dare turn back to look at him. She knew he was running right behind her, just like he had done when she was nine years old. Her father ended up easily catching up to her and picked her up after she tripped on the ground. Now, Kim wasn't in a hoopskirt, she was fourteen years old, and had been working on her stamina. All she had to do was outlast him until he got too tired, similar to an animal outrunning its predator.

Kim didn't notice what James was yelling or whether or not her brothers were cheering for her or her father (probably her father since they had to ruin her quiet escape plan). She had no idea if her mother made it out of bed or not. Kim continued to run towards the peach trees, her heart pounding in her chest from being chased for so long. Kim wasn't tiring out, and she wasn't panting. _Don't turn back_. Kim repeated this to herself when she felt the need to turn around to check on her father. She recalled in a book she recently read that if she looked back, her speed would fall, her panic would rise, and she'd be caught. The book hadn't been published, but it was a handwritten journal left by her grandmother on her father's side. There were times Kim didn't know if it had been fiction or fact, but she had shoved it into her bag a while ago before she really started packing for her journey.

Kim wasn't going to look behind her because she didn't want to get caught. The dried grass seemed crunchier under her shoes than usual, the sounds of insects seemed louder, the blood pounding in her ears made it impossible to hear her father's words, but she was hyperaware of the steps he took until they started to fade and get quieter and quieter as she zigzagged through the tall cotton fields, taking the long way to her meeting spot.

When Kim finally reached the peach trees, she realized she no longer heard her father coming after her anymore. Instead, Shego jumped down from a tree and cackled at how disheveled Kim must have looked. Luckily, Kim's face was red from exertion, so Shego couldn't see that she was blushing from the soft glow from her lantern. "You didn't have to run," Shego shook her head with a smirk.

"My brother found out," Kim panted. "My father just chased me all the way out here."

"Well, you must have lost him a while ago because I didn't see anyone chasing you," Shego said. Kim dared to look behind her and found he wasn't there. She smiled broadly. She was free! Kim was finally free from her overbearing father, her perfectionist mother, and the trouble-maker twins. "Are you ready, or are you just going to stand there like a fool with that stupid grin on your face?"

Stupid grin and all, Kim turned towards Shego and nodded eagerly.

"Well then, let's go," Shego turned and started to walk away. Kim caught up to walk beside her and forgot to ask exactly where they were headed.

* * *

So sorry for the month long wait in updates. I was sick like all of November (a cold because I refused to take any time off of work). I'm feeling kind of better now, just tired because I don't rest most days like I should! Anyway, Kim is finally out of her house and is on the road with Shego! What'll happen to them? Hopefully I'll update before January :)


	13. On the Road Part I

Kim walked silently behind Shego as they trekked on the small, untraveled dirt road. Part of Kim was upset her parents didn't care enough or want her enough to come after her. It wouldn't have done any good because her mind was made up, but it would have been nice to know she was still wanted around despite her behavior. Her parents must have cared more about their image than their own daughter; it had to be the only explanation.

And her brothers ruining her escape plan! Even though she was fond of Wade as a friend, she wished she didn't make the pit stop to the library in that old family mansion she was forced to call home. If she avoided her brothers, then her unwanted feelings could have been easily avoided. She'd be walking with Shego without feeling completely rejected. Her parents probably thought she'd come back in the morning and probably didn't believe her tougher exterior or will to leave.

Kim decided not to focus on the past, which included her family. She decided to only focus on her future with Shego. It was this thought alone that kept her sadness from overwhelming her other emotions: excitement, glee, and nervous. It wasn't the bad kind of nervous, but the kind that tended to get her blood pumping, a feeling she craved daily. It was similar to that feeling when she used to climb high on a tree and stand up on the branch. That nervousness in that scenario was eradicated when she began to participate in more daring activities with Shego. It was hard to get the thrill of almost falling over the edge, almost getting caught.

The thrill was back. Kim was fourteen years old and leaving home without a man. This was exhilarating and Kim was going to be better than any man she ever met, especially Josh Mankey. He was going to amount to nothing with his mediocre art skills and only have his family's money and status to carry him along living in luxury. Kim wanted to live in luxury, but only if it meant that she earned it. She wasn't about to marry into an obnoxious family just to survive. Kim was going to survive on her own (with Shego) and that was that.

There was one problem: Kim had no idea where she was going. Shego seemed to be confident in her step and probably knew exactly where they were headed off to. "Where are we going?" Kim asked and started walking at Shego's side. "New York City? The west? Go City?"

"Atlanta," Shego stated.

"Atlanta, Georgia?"

"You know of another one?" Shego asked sarcastically. Kim pouted.

"Why Atlanta?" Kim sighed in defeat because she figured Shego had some kind of plan since Kim had none whatsoever other than ideas and dreams.

"Well, it is fall and going on winter soon. It's cold in New York and we do not have enough money to deal with travel costs and dealing with snow and keeping warm. It's warm in Atlanta," Shego explained. Before Kim could even ask why they couldn't go out west, Shego beat her to her reasoning. "Two words for the west- Donner Party."

"What does that mean?" Kim asked her.

"Get out much, Princess? They were a group of people who went out west, got lost, starved, and had to eat each other to survive."

"You are making that up," Kim glared at her.

"Believe what you want," Shego shrugged. "But I am telling you, I don't want to deal with the possibility of cannibalism."

"Sure," Kim rolled her eyes. Shego cackled.

"Go City is a dump. Been there, done that, and I absolutely refuse to go back there."

Kim didn't question her about Go City. She wasn't really interested in why Shego didn't care for it much. Shego didn't care for a lot of things.

"Ultimate goal in New York City. We must make something of ourselves in Atlanta first to make a bit of money and save it. I know of a place where we will not have to pay any rent," Shego explained.

"What place?" Kim queried.

"I know a man," was all Shego said on the subject. Kim didn't press for information because she had to force herself not to think of Shego as a prostitute or an easy woman like other people said. Whoever the man was wasn't important to Kim. The important thing was making money at first because Kim hadn't even thought about that until Shego brought it up. Kim wondered if she was simply stupid or that fourteen year olds weren't the brightest and that maybe when she was sixteen, she'd be as smart as Shego. Only time would tell.

The road was dusty, Kim's feet hurt, and the cold was starting to get to her. She didn't want to be a wuss and complain. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of Shego because that would have been embarrassing. Shego would probably tell her to get over it.

Kim was tired. It was starting to get lighter out and the sun was just about to rise. She continued walking and silently prayed for a horse. She was beginning to wonder if Shego was tired, but she didn't show any signs of exhaustion. "I assume you did not sleep during the day." Kim was startled by Shego's sudden comment.

"You assumed correctly," Kim responded lightly. She felt like a fool because she didn't think to sleep more during the day knowing she'd be traveling at night. In her defense, Kim thought they'd have at the very least a horse to help them out with all of the traveling.

"People will be traveling soon. We can hitch a ride," Shego told her. Kim was hoping Shego would suggest a nap, but that obviously wouldn't happen. Kim had no idea how long it would take to get to Atlanta on foot. It took almost three days to get there with horse and wagon. She usually slept on the way. Perhaps there was an inn nearby? A welcoming home? Kim hadn't seen anything for what was probably miles they had walked. "Did you think leaving would be easy?" Shego asked her.

"I wanted an adventure," Kim mumbled.

"You will get one hell of an adventure, Princess," Shego cackled. "We are lucky enough to have a place to stay for free. We will be poor for a while and living in poverty. I do hope you realize that."

"Maybe next time you could mention that," Kim sighed. "At the moment, though, I am tired of walking."

"It will be more painful if you stop walking and then start again," Shego said. She reached into her bag and took out a biscuit. She handed it to Kim whose stomach growled when she held it. Greedily, she devoured it. She was going to ask for more, but didn't when she saw Shego didn't eat one of her own.

"Thank you," Kim said quietly. "I feel better now." She didn't, but she wasn't about to disappoint the one person who believed in her. The sun had risen, and despite being outside, she basically missed the sunrise. She shrugged it off since her mind was occupied with other thoughts, mostly with begging for something to appear out of nowhere so she didn't have to walk anymore.

By the position of the sun, it had to be around nine in the morning by now. Only two horse-drawn wagons passed them with not a single driver giving the two girls a second glance. The horses never slowed down and continued their trot. Kim didn't recognize anyone. She realized this was not the road her father took when he traveled to Atlanta.

Shego eventually reached into her bag and grabbed a canteen and took a large gulp of it before offering it to Kim. The heat was starting to get to both of them. At least it wasn't as blazing hot as the peak of summer and there was a nice breeze that would occasionally hit them. Kim felt herself sweating and wished she had a basin of water to get the stickiness off of her face. Kim took a couple of sips of water and then handed it back to Shego who put it back in her own bag. Kim wondered why she didn't think to pack anything essential; she thought she had, but what she thought was essential changed quickly on what was the beginning of her long journey ahead.

There were two horses pulling a carriage. The driver slowed down so that the horses walked slowly enough so he could speak to the girls. "Aye, lassies, where are ye headed?" The man's accent was thick, which indicated he was an immigrant. Kim wasn't really sure what she thought about immigrants because she changed her views drastically over the years. Immigrants, however, never really crossed her mind. She never interacted with one before. She was almost afraid of him with his thick reddish brown beard and his green hat on the top of what appeared to be a bald head. His black eyes stared down at the girls from his perch. Kim stepped a little closer to Shego.

"And you care because…?" Shego replied without a hint of emotion as she continued to walk.

"Aye, I was just wonderin' if you wanted a ride," the man said.

"I do not know anything about you," Shego shrugged.

"The name's Duff Killigan," the bulky man stated. "I'm on my way to Atlanta to deliver the rest of my fine wine."

"We are also on our way to Atlanta," Shego spoke. "I am Shego. She's Kim." The introduction was blunt and informal, making Kim's face match her hair. She really needed to get control over her embarrassment. After all, she always wanted to be referred to as Kim rather than Kimberly.

"You want a ride?" Duff stopped his horses. Shego stopped walking and Kim copied her. She still remained close.

"What do you want in return?" Shego asked him.

"Smart lass. Just a wee bit amount of money," Duff grinned.

"If you get us to Atlanta, no tricks, no hassles, you've got yourself a deal," Shego replied. "You try anything funny, you will never get a cent from us."

"No tricks. Just want to help out two lassies walkin' all alone. It's dangerous." Shego didn't respond. She took Kim's arm and pulled her to the back of the wagon.

"Here," Shego said and handed Kim her belongings. "You take these and sit back here. I will sit up front with him and make sure he does not try anything funny."

"I can sit up front with you," Kim urged. She didn't want Shego in a dangerous situation. Kim felt this was a strength in numbers type of situation.

Shego shook her head. "You are exhausted. Sleep. I will be fine. I doubt anything notable will happen during this trip." Kim was going to argue, but decided against it. She was incredibly tired, her feet hurt, and her legs were sore. Kim silently climbed into the back with her things. The two barrels of wine were tied into place so they wouldn't slide around and crush her. She heard Shego go around to the front and climb up. Kim eavesdropped on the conversation between the two. Duff assured Shego she would be fine in the back with Kim, but the dark haired girl bit back with no holding back. Duff seemed somewhat insulted at her quick tongue and commented she wasn't from Georgia. Shego proudly stated she wasn't, claiming she was from New York- the city, not the middle of nowhere. Duff said he was born and raised in Scotland, but came over to the states ten years ago for personal reasons he did not discuss. Kim stayed quiet in the back, noting Shego never gave Duff Killigan more information about either of them. The redhead shrugged; the older girl was more secretive anyway.

Kim shut her eyes. The next time she opened them, Shego had crawled into the back of the wagon and shook her awake, but more gently than Kim would have imagined. The sun was dimming in the sky and was no longer blaring down onto the earth. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and slid out of the wagon with Shego helping her down. "Where are we?" she finally asked.

"At an inn," Shego said and went in the back to grab the bags Kim left behind. Shego swung one over each shoulder and took Kim's hand as she led her into the ugly building. Her nose scrunched at the foul odor. She was being dragged by Shego to the middle aged man behind the counter. He looked at the both of them oddly. Kim couldn't pinpoint the way he gazed at them, but Shego's lips curled in disgust. "One room and no funny business," Shego said and slammed her fist on the counter. She produced a knife in between her middle and index finger. She glanced at the knife and threw it at the dartboard where it hit the bullseye.

The man said nothing, but he no longer eyed either of them the way he was before. Kim noticed he bit the inside of his cheek nervously by the way it was sucked into his mouth. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Your key," the man said and reached behind him. "Room three. Be out of here by eight tomorrow morning."

"We plan on it," Shego said and slammed some money down on the counter. Kim had no idea if it was the correct amount or not, but the man didn't complain. Wordlessly, Kim followed Shego down the hall and didn't dare speak after Shego retrieved her knife. Her legs ached from all of the walking she did overnight and the pains in her feet reappeared quickly. She took a few deep breaths as she forced herself to wait for Shego to unlock the room they were to stay in. When the door opened, Kim wanted to flop down onto the bed and relax, perhaps stretch out her back which was sore from sleeping slouched over on wood. The bed, however, had seen better days.

The mattress looked thin, the blankets were thin, and everything seemed dirty. It was bad enough Kim felt the residue of sweat on her, which cooled off as she slept, sticking to her skin and clothes and hair. She took a few steps into the room and cringed at the dirty floors. Kim watched Shego lock the door, putting the one chair in the room in front of it. She tilted it so it was wedged underneath the door handle that would make it difficult for the door to swing open. Shego put the bags down, carefully sitting on the bed as if she was testing it out. When she was satisfied, she kicked her shoes off and began to undress. Kim immediately blushed and focused looking down at the dirty floor.

In her underclothes, Shego lit a couple of candles as the sun continued to descend into the sky. She drew the curtains. Only the soft glow of the candles lit the room now. Kim dared to look up. She wished she hadn't. How could Shego be so confident with her body? The soft glow of the candle made her look exotic. Kim turned around and pressed her lips together. "I don't know about you, but my clothes are repulsive after today," Shego sighed.

"Yes," Kim managed to say.

"Stop being such a prude," Shego said. "I am fully clothed." Kim dared to turn around and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Shego was in her nightgown. "I'm going to use the bathroom," Shego held up the chamber pot, then pointed to the closet to indicate that was where she would be. Kim was thankful she went into the closet to take care of her business. Kim changed as quickly as she could and ignored her muscles screaming in protest at her quick movements. When Shego came out, Kim was fully clothed and decided to take care of her own business. Despite being in the closet, she blushed furiously.

When she was finished, Kim saw Shego was already in bed on one side of it. Kim realized she'd have to share the bed with her. "Would you be a dear and blow out the candles?" Shego asked her.

"Okay," Kim replied simply, blowing out the candles before climbing into the left side of the bed. She pulled the blankets over her. In the dark, she could at least pretend the bed was clean. It squeaked as she settled down onto the pillow; it wasn't fluffy like her pillow at home. No, she told herself, that mansion wasn't her home anymore. Her home was currently on the road and would temporarily be in someone else's home in Atlanta.

"Kimmie, we need to have a little talk."

"A talk? What about?" Kim asked and shifted her body so she faced Shego even though she couldn't really see her.

"Sometimes men try to take advantage of girls in bad ways. I highly doubt your father mentioned this to you, but you need to know since we are on the road and all. It is important to remain alert. Men can be sleazy like the one behind the counter here. He was eyeing us, as if he was undressing us with his eyes. Do you understand, Kimmie?"

"I think so," Kim shuddered. The idea that a man could look at her like that scared her. Why didn't her father warn her about this? Or her mother? Why did she grow up blinded by the world outside of that stupid plantation? Kim was glad she left so Shego could properly educate her about the world. She wondered how Shego knew this, but figured her father must have been better about telling her the truth about things. The thing was, though, Kim started to wonder if men could do more than just staring at her and undressing her with their eyes.

Kim was thankful she was still tired. When Shego didn't say anything else, Kim closed her eyes and easily fell asleep despite the poor sleeping conditions. She'd be ready for tomorrow's travels.

* * *

Finally finished chapter 13! Hopefully I can get chapter 14 out quickly (I work in a school so I have a whole week off). Hope those of you who celebrate anything around this time of year have been enjoying the holidays!

Keep those reviews coming. I still love hearing what you all have to say!


	14. On the Road Part II

Kim woke up multiple times throughout the night. Shego somehow slept through Kim's tossing and turning. The first time Kim woke up, she was absolutely freezing! She had no idea why or how, but crawling closer to Shego helped that. The woman seemed to be a living burning fireplace, which was in Kim's benefit. The other times she woke up was simply due to the fact that this wasn't her bed and probably because she slept so much during the day. She was able to make out that Shego was a stomach sleeper and slept silently. Kim wondered if there was something about Shego that wasn't perfect. Sure, she stole some peaches from Kim's family, but they were peaches! It wasn't like she broke into their home and stole family heirlooms or her mother's jewelry.

Eventually, morning came. Kim must have dozed off because she was woken up by Shego. The other girl was already fully dressed and ready for the day. She clipped her hair back and up so that it was off of her neck. She put a bonnet on, which meant it was going to be a bright day since Shego didn't particularly care for them.

Kim climbed out of bed quickly when she noticed how terribly dirty everything about the room was. Shego had drawn back some of the curtains for light and it made the room look even worse than when they had arrived last night. Kim got ready as quickly as she could with a look of disgust on her face. She looked around for a basin of water, but found none. This made Shego stifle a laugh. Kim merely rolled her eyes and put her shoes on so she didn't have to drag her feet along the disgusting floor. She found rat waste on the floor and wondered if she slept among rats.

She put a bonnet on and clipped her hair back. It really needed a wash after yesterday. She wasn't used to sweating to that degree. When she was ready, Kim grabbed her bag and followed Shego out of the room. The man at the counter wasn't even there when they left. Shego dropped the key on the counter and led them outside. It was one of those clear days where there were minimal clouds in the sky, so the sun was strong. It was then that Kim noticed they had made it to a small little town. She saw a couple of vendors and other buildings outside. Although, building was indeed an understatement. Wherever they stopped was dirty and grimy. Everything looked rundown and in need of some serious repair. "Hungry?" Kim's stomach growled at the thought of food. She didn't recall eating the day before, or at least anything significant.

"Very," Kim started to salivate. She was disgusted with herself.

"All right, Kimmie," Shego started as Kim made her way to the dreary eatery. "You need to get used to this. We're broke and we most definitely will not be eating three meals a day. We probably won't even have meet once a week."

"Don't be so cruel," Kim mumbled. "We barely ate anything yesterday."

"It is great practice," Shego smirked. "And I am a cruel person, but you chose to come with me."

"Oh, stop it," Kim playfully hit Shego's forearm. "I am just hungry. I did not mean it."

"Whatever you say, Princess," Shego said.

Kim was not impressed with the…she didn't even know what to call it. The place smelled of must, mold, and alcohol. The food she ordered was mediocre, but she forced it down because Shego reminded her that this was probably the only place they'd stop for food for the day. They'd have to make do with the little food Shego packed in order to make it through the day. Kim was just thankful they wouldn't have to walk again since Duff Killigan was taking them the whole way to Atlanta. Shego estimated it would take another day and a half to get there as long as the weather continued to be in their favor.

After forcing down the barely edible food, Kim followed Shego (she had been doing that a lot lately) to the wagon where the Scotsman waited for them. He was sitting with the reigns in his hands. Kim was, yet again, forced to climb in the back of the wagon while Shego sat up front with the man in the kilt. She felt it wasn't fair, but she was smart enough not to voice her opinion on the matter. Shego knew what she was doing while Kim was just coming along for the ride.

Kim couldn't help but wonder how Shego was intelligent beyond the arts, the etiquette, the fashion they were supposed to learn. How did Shego learn all of this? It couldn't have just come from books, could it? Surely there was someone in her life who taught her these things before she was able to plan and set off on her journey.

She was surprised when they stopped for lunch. Did they stop yesterday? Kim must have slept through it. Shego told her to hurry up with their things and come out to eat. After she climbed out of the wagon with the two bags without Shego's help this time, Duff went into his wagon and retrieved some water and two large bowls for the horses. The raven haired girl grabbed her bag from Kim and rummaged through it, pulling out a canteen of water and a bag of dried peaches. Kim wondered if these were the peaches from her trees as she silently ate them.

"What's it like sitting up front?" Kim asked stupidly. She knew the answer. She had ridden up front with her father before.

"Passive aggressive does not suit you, Kimmie," Shego rolled her eyes. "Try again."

"Why am I shoved in the back like an animal while you get to sit up front?" Kim glared.

"Much better," Shego paused. "Well, if you know where we are going, you can make sure Duff is taking us the right way, and I will take a break. Sitting up front with the sun beating down on you is terrible," she explained. Kim rolled her eyes; she was being dramatic on purpose. The sun wasn't really directly on Shego since there was a tarp over the driver's area.

"If it is that bad, why don't you sit in the back with me? I am sure Mister Duff does not need any help with directions considering he was already on his way to Atlanta when we met him," Kim replied coyly.

"If you haven't noticed, Kimmie, we are hitching a ride from someone we never met in our entire lives. This is why you need me around. You're just too trusting."

Kim frowned. Shego smirked and walked back towards the wagon, and Kim had to follow her or else she'd get left behind. But then she deemed her thought ridiculous because Shego would never leave her behind! Maybe that was her being too trusting? No, Kim decided as she climbed back into the wagon, she knew Shego. They were best friends. There wasn't any reason for Shego to be untrustworthy. After all, she willingly took Kim with her and she didn't have to do that. Kim was determined, though, to learn as much as she could so she didn't trust that someone she just met would always do the right thing.

It wasn't completely dark inside the wagon; sunlight would come through the cracks and the back of it. Bored, Kim reached into her bag and took out the journal her grandmother on her father's side had written in. She had grabbed it from her father's home and felt the journal belonged with her, not with him. It was a selfish thought, but it wasn't like he ever really cared for it. She originally found it stuffed in the back of the bookshelf behind other books. Was there something her father was ashamed of? Did the journal hold secrets that would shame the family? Kim didn't know, but she was going to find out. The language it was written in wasn't English nor was it French. She did not really know Gaelic well; however, she knew a few words and could tell that it wasn't that, either. What language could this be? The alphabet was not at all present, or at least the alphabet Kim was aware of.

Atlanta had a library, that Kim knew for sure. The only thing was she didn't know how to go about it. There were books, but how many books would Kim have to go through in order to learn this new language and decipher it? There was one entry in English, the very first page, and it didn't give anything away about the contents of the journal. Despite not knowing what anything said, Kim thumbed through it and admired her grandmother's handwriting. She had gone west with her uncle and cousin. Kim hadn't heard from her, either.

There were secrets in there and Kim was eager to figure them out. She figured she'd have all the time in the world when she got to the city. After all, Shego said they would stay somewhere for free, so she didn't think money would be an issue.

Kim put the journal back since there wasn't anything she could read in there. The day before, Kim slept the entire trip. Now, Kim had to figure out how to occupy her time because she wasn't tired at all. She stretched out her legs, which felt stiff from all the walking she did the previous day. Kim wished Shego was back there with her so she'd have someone to talk to, or move the barrels so she could talk to Shego through a gap in the tarp that covered the wagon.

Nothing notable happened. Kim was bored and hungry. She didn't dare eat any of Shego's food without permission.

The wagon eventually stopped and Kim couldn't wait to hop out of it and just not sit anymore. She grabbed the bags and hopped out before Shego got back there to help her. The sun was setting, indicating it was probably somewhere close to dinner time. Kim's stomach growled at the thought. Kim walked over to the front and watched Shego gracefully hop down from her perch without any help from Duff who learned Shego didn't need any help whatsoever. Kim appreciated this because he didn't try to help out either of them other than to give the two travelers a ride to the city he was traveling to anyway.

Duff unhooked the horses and led them to the stables where they'd be fed and comfortable for the night. Shego took a bag from Kim and slung it over her shoulder. "There's a place to eat," she gestured with a movement of her head to the right across the dirt road.

The two girls entered the establishment that was in better condition than the last place they ate at. Much better. The waitress was nice and pointed out ham was on the menu for the night. Kim beamed and looked at Shego excitedly, who allowed her to order ham and potatoes. Shego, on the other hand, didn't order anything nearly as good. Her meal had no meat in it. Kim frowned and questioned why Shego didn't order any of the fresh ham that was advertised. All Shego did was scoff and say, "Meat isn't cheap, Kimmie, and it's not like we are swimming in money at the moment."

"Well, then, how much do we have?" Kim asked and took a bite of her ham.

"I will worry about that. We are only tight on money for now. Once we start working in Atlanta, we will not have to worry."

"Work?" Kim's eyebrows shot up. "Surely we do not have to do that. We are staying at someone's place for free."

Shego cackled and stole some meat off of Kim's plate. "Oh, Princess, just because we have free housing does not by any means indicate that we do not need money." Shego took a bite, chewed with her mouth closed, and swallowed. "Don't worry. I will be doing the working. You make yourself useful around the house." Kim slowly nodded and hated that she had been so dense. Obviously food and everything else cost money! How could she have assumed otherwise? "Ah, to be fourteen again," Shego mocked.

Kim silently ate the rest of her meal so she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Nothing notable occurred for the rest of their trip. They stayed in another inn, but better conditions. Kim wasn't horrified when she woke up in the morning and didn't cringe when her feet touched the floor. Same as the days before, Kim was put in the back of the wagon. When the sun died down at night, though, they didn't stop. Duff wanted to get to Atlanta before morning. He did allow the horses to rest for an hour, so Kim and Shego ate the little food that was left in the bags.

After hours of sitting in a pitch black wagon, it came to a halt. Kim tiredly crawled out and handed the bags to Shego before hopping out. Kim looked in awe when she saw the night lamps out, illuminating the roads.

They did it. Kim and Shego made it to Atlanta.

* * *

They made it! Any predictions?

Thanks again for all of your support :D


	15. Finally, Atlanta!

Kim didn't expect to have to walk to the house in the city. Atlanta was huge compared to what she was used to. The houses were much smaller than her own, but she appreciated the shops Shego pointed out. Shego explained how they wouldn't be providing themselves with their own food, but they'd have to go shopping for food every once in a while and spend money. Kim knew her father would sometimes buy food, such as spices, however, her father would also trade goods with their neighbors. Shego said that didn't happen here as often. Since it was dark, it was hard to make out other shops, but Shego said there were places where they could buy clothes. They could even try them on for fun without actually buying them! That was something Kim wasn't used to back at home. No, that wasn't her home anymore. She would get to her temporary home soon.

Or so she thought.

Kim groaned in frustration when she saw that Shego had brought them to another inn. "Why can't we just get to the house? Isn't that where we were headed?" Kim asked.

"Be quiet," Shego hissed.

"No, tell me why we are staying here tonight!" Kim demanded, but Shego ignored her.

"Good evening," Shego said to the man behind the counter. He glared at both of them. "We would like a room."

"No rooms left," he said. "Now get out." The way he stared them up and down was scary; he definitely didn't like either of them. Kim thought that was ridiculous since he didn't even know them! She was going to speak her mind, but Shego elbowed her hard in the ribs right as she inhaled.

"We are just travelers and want to get off of the streets," Shego said to him. "We aren't prostitutes." Shego glared at him, not backing down from him as he cracked his knuckles. He was ready to pick a fight if he had to in order to get them out of his inn (which was actually the best one they set foot in). "Let's make a deal. If we are, indeed, prostitutes and a man goes to our room, we will pay you triple. If no man comes in, the stay is free. Deal?"

The man seemed to consider this. "Deal." It didn't take him long to agree because of the amount of money being offered. Kim felt a shiver go up her spine; she was incredibly confused and scared. The man didn't seem to be all too friendly. "If you leave a down payment."

Shego handed him enough for a night. "You're going to make a fool of yourself when the sun rises," Shego smirked. She wrote down fake names for her and Kim in the ledger. The large, burly man handed over the key for room seven. Kim had no choice but to follow her. When they got into the room, Shego locked the door, lit a lamp, and turned toward Kim with a scowl on her face.

"You do not question me when I am keeping you safe," Shego hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Kim asked, folding her arms over her chest after she tossed her bag on the floor.

"If you had any common sense, you would have realized roaming around the streets at night is not a good idea. Didn't you see the type of people that were outside?" Shego asked her. Kim went to respond, but she did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Was Shego just trying to scare her more than she already was? Or had she distracted her so Kim didn't notice? "It's as if you were raised under a rock," Shego grumbled.

"Why did you have to say we weren't prostitutes?" Kim asked quietly. Her arms were folded more over her stomach now, as she sat on the bed.

"Prostitutes tend to be out at this hour," Shego explained.

"So he thought that we…" Kim mumbled. Shego nodded while Kim blushed at the thought of it. "I'm just going to get ready for bed," she decided. The raven haired girl nodded and, as per usual, had no body shame and just changed right out in the open. Kim took the more modest approach and swung the closet door open to cover herself. Once she was changed and used the chamber pot in the closet, she climbed into bed happily and was thankful the bed wasn't as uncomfortable as the last. Not soft by any means, she was glad it wasn't as awful as the first one. She pulled the thin sheets up to her chin and sighed in content; Kim could finally rest.

Shego climbed into the same bed a few minutes later after she brushed her hair and braided it as she tended to do. It kept her hair from being a tangled mess in the morning, she claimed. Back at home, Kim would occasionally tie her hair back, but it had been too much effort for the trip. It was much easier to hop right into bed. Shego turned off the oil lamp before plopping her head onto the pillow. Kim scooched closer to Shego who seemed to produce a fair amount of heat even when the temperature dropped at night. And within minutes, the exhausted teen fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Kim got ready quickly when she woke up and saw Shego was ready for the day. She didn't want to be a further burden. While she got ready, Shego went out to grab them some food for breakfast. She returned with some sort of pastry Kim never ate before, but she enjoyed it. Kim didn't dare embarrass herself by asking what it was.

Kim was thankful she put on her bonnet to shield her eyes from the bright sun. Despite the clear skies and brightness, it was starting to get slightly colder out as the seasons were changing. Silently, Kim followed Shego and marveled at the sights as she walked through Atlanta. There were so many people! And friendly people at that. A number of citizens of the city greeted her when she walked by. The friendliness and fullness of this place was something Kim could enjoy. On her family's land, Kim always felt a little bit lonely, especially since she had always been social.

Looking left, looking right, Kim could see all different kinds of shops and buildings. It was much more exciting during the day! There was a clothes store and Kim made a mental note that she would want to go check it out based on her brief peek in the window. Living in the middle of nowhere made it impossible for Kim to go shopping more than a few times per year if she was lucky. "You like it so far?" Shego asked.

"I have been here before, but everything just seems so new and exciting this time," Kim joyfully answered.

"I love cities," Shego revealed. "But New York City is even bigger and you'll love it."

"I am so excited. When will we go up north?" Kim asked.

"Not for a while," Shego mused. "I already mentioned to you that we shouldn't go up north when winter's coming. It would be much too cold for you, especially when we barely have any money. The summer would be best," she explained.

"It will still be fun here in Atlanta," Kim pointed out. Shego only nodded. Kim continued to follow a step behind her. She soaked in the sights as they finally approached a house. Kim watched as Shego pulled a key out of her bag, and she wondered when this key miraculously appeared. Kim shook her head; it was more than likely Shego had it the whole time. Kim mentally scolded herself for being so unobservant and told herself she'd need to really work on that if she were going to be self-sufficient someday. It wouldn't do well to be caught off guard if something bad were to happen.

"If by fun you mean working, then yes, great fun," Shego replied as she opened the door.

Kim ignored her and looked around in awe when they entered the house. It was only a fraction of the size of where she grew up, but this felt more like a home to her. She skipped around to the kitchen where there was a fireplace, wash basin, and countertops. "That's an icebox," Shego pointed out. "Not many people have them." Kim looked at the wooden structure and frowned.

"There isn't any ice!"

"That is because nobody has been living here for a good four months, Kimmie. Ice tends to melt, and I am surprised the moron who owns the place was smart enough to take out the ice before he left," Shego explained.

"Who exactly owns this house?" Kim asked when she noticed there wasn't a single portrait on the wall.

"Man's name is Drew Lipsky," Shego stated. "He primarily lives up north."

"I assume you have met him before."

"Plenty of times," Shego replied, but Kim wasn't that convinced. Even so, it was awfully nice of Mr. Lipsky to allow the two girls to stay at his place for a while. "So, you will be staying in the guest room," Shego said, opening the door to reveal two twin beds. The room was small, but Kim could make do. She only planned on sleeping in here. Kim tossed her bag onto the bed and looked back at Shego. "I'll be in the master bedroom."

"That's fair," Kim nodded.

"You unpack and stay here," Shego said. "I shall be going to find some sort of job they'd hire a woman for."

"Not a prostitute, surely!"

"Oh please," Shego rolled her eyes. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with those women. They do make great money; however, I am going to try to be well respected here."

"Since when do you care about public opinion?" Kim laughed.

"Since we will be stuck here, I would rather not have to deal with the mindless gossip." Kim thought better than to point out Shego that she just admitted that she cared about the gossip that traveled through the plantations. Although Shego had radical views, they did seem to make sense. And she took Kim with her when she wanted to leave. The redhead was grateful for that. Shego turned around, tossed her bags on her bed, and left. She told Kim not to leave the house for the day, to rest.

Kim was tired.

But she was never very good at staying put.

So, after taking a nap, Kim set out into Atlanta on her own.


End file.
